pomophobe

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:07 PM -0400 5/3/11, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>In later life Snow White suffered from pomophobia.  But potatoes were OK.
>
>JL

I'm sorry, I hate to be prescriptive, but I must
insist: This disorder or fetish or paraphobia or
whatever it is must be called by its rightful
name: pommophobia.  Pomophobia is, as ever, the
fear and/or hatred of post-modernism, Brits,
and/or British post-modernism.  No apples,
potatoes, or tomatoes are involved, although
possibly some molecular bangers and mash.  And
what's this with the poisonous green potatoes?
I'm almost positive I've eaten them on St.
Patrick's Day.  Maybe green beer is a natural
homeopathic antidote.

LH

>
>On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 7:30 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>>  Subject:      Re: pomophobe
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  At 5/3/2011 06:17 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>  >To me, the "ancients" are Homer and Vergil.  You must be younger than me.
>>
>>  Perhaps.  But I thought I had found the origin of
>>  "pomophobia".  See Wikipedia on the potato, section "Africa" --
>>  "Like in other continents, in spite of its
>>  advantages as an antifamine, high-elevation
>>  alternative to grain, the potato was at first
>>  resisted by local farmers who thought it was poisonous."
>>
>>  And snopes.com on "Claim: Green potatoes are
>>  poisonous. / Status: True."  Any green part.
>>
>>  JSB
>>
>>
>>  >JL
>>  >
>>  >On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 5:40 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>>  >
>>  > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  > > -----------------------
>>  > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>>  > > Subject:      Re: pomophobe
>>  > >
>>  > >
>>  >
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > >
>>  > > At 5/3/2011 04:47 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>  > > >See, an apple in Latin is "pomum."  It's kind of a play on words.
>>  > > >
>>  > > >But the ancients didn't have potatoes, so I don't see how they could
>>  have
>>  > > >been afraid of them.
>>  > > >
>>  > > >Except perhaps in dreams....
>>  > >
>>  > > Or in the Latin writings of the Spanish clerics
>>  > > who accompanied the Conquest.  The Spanish
>>  > > brought the potato to Europe in the late 16th
>>  > > century.  I believe they were considered
>>  > > poisonous by some (in England or France?),
>>  > > although I don't immediately have documentation for that.
>>  > >
>>  > > Joel
>>  > >
>>  > >
>>  > > >JL
>>  > > >
>>  > > >On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 4:25 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>>  > > >
>>  > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  > > > > -----------------------
>>  > > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  > > > > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>  > > > > Subject:      Re: pomophobe
>>  > > > >
>>  > > > >
>>  > > >
>>  > >
>>  >
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > > > >
>>  > > > > On Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:55 AM, Jonathan Lighter <
>>  > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>>  > > > > wrote:
>>  > > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  > > > > -----------------------
>>  > > > > > Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <
>>  ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  > > > > > Poster: Â  Â  Â  Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>  > > > > > Subject: Â  Â  Â pomophobe
>>  > > > > >
>>  > > > >
>>  > > >
>>  > >
>>  >
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > > > > >
>>  > > > > > Yep. Over 10,000 raw hits.
>>  > > > > >
>>  > > > > > JL
>>  > > > > >
>>  > > > > > --
>>  > > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
>>  the
>>  > > > > truth."
>>  > > > > >
>>  > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>  > > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>  > > > > >
>>  > > > >
>>  > > > > At first, thanks to increasing presbyopia, I read the word as
>>  > > > > _pornophobe_, an obvious oxymoron.
>>  > > > >
>>  > > > > But, "hates apples?" I don't get it.
>>  > > > >
>>  > > > > --
>>  > > > > -Wilson
>>  > > > > -----
>>  > > > > All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange
>>  complaint
>>  > > > > to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>  > > > > -Mark Twain
>>  > > > >
>>  > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>  > > > >
>>  > > >
>>  > > >
>>  > > >
>>  > > >--
>>  > > >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>  > > truth."
>>  > > >
>>  > > >------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>  > >
>>  > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>  > >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >--
>>  >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>  truth."
>>  >
>>  >------------------------------------------------------------
>>  >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
>--
>"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org