rebranding

[Jonathan Lighter]

I don't know whether to be relieved of horrified.

Because _credo quia absurdum_.

JL
On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 9:29 AM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: rebranding
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Many readers will be familiar with the "urban legend" regarding the
> rebranding of Kentucky Fried Chicken as KFC.  The aim was not to eliminate
> the opprobrius "fried" but rather to avoid the word "chicken"--which,
> according to (instrusive) government regulations, must designate a a living,
> breathing, feathered, two-winged, two-lfooted, one-backed, one-necked fowl.
>  You see, the corporation is now raising hydroponic pseudo-birds, without
> feathers or wings or feet or backs or necks or heads or entrials--just the
> choice and profitable parts of the fryer.
>
>
> --Charlie
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
> Margaret Lee [mlee303 at YAHOO.COM]
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 4:32 AM
>
>
> KFC was also advertising a=A0few years ago as Kitchen Fresh
> Chicken.=0A=0A-=
> -Margaret Lee=0A=0A>> >Kentucky Fried Chicken --> KFC (to avoid the
> referen=
> ce to "fried" food)=0A>=0A> Some of these abbreviations, like the above
> cou=
> ple, overlap with the=0A> more general practice of euphemistic distancing
> b=
> y initialism=0A> extending to the rebranding of non-brands, as in V.D. and
> =
> STD/STI=0A> (discussed here recently), along with E.D., P.E. (not the gym
> k=
> ind),=0A> and now in commercials Low T.=A0 I like to think of these as
> plai=
> n=0A> brown wrapper initialisms.=0A>=0A> LH=0A>=0A>
> -----------------------=
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