The wiener and its warming (and the OED)

[Laurence Horn]

On Oct 31, 2011, at 3:08 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:

> Hear, hear! It is pretty rare to see "barbecue" spelled with a "c" anymore. Insisting on it is pedantry.
>
> And I didn't know that's what you had to do to have a barbecue in the South. As long as there's flame and the flame is outdoors, it's BBQ. (Not sure if "barbie" is going to stick, but Outback is trying hard.)

As long as you pronounce it "BAA-bie" /'bae:bi/, to distinguish it clearly from the doll, the copper, and the Nazi.

LH

>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> On Oct 31, 2011, at 10:21 AM, Charles C Doyle wrote:
>
>> So:  At least a part of the problem with the OED entry for "wiener" is its use of "barbecue" in the sense of 'a party' (barbecue n.4.b).
>>
>> I think we have an American regional issue here (though DARE omits it):  In northernish parts, one can barbecue wieners or hamburger patties or chicken breasts for a few minutes on a barbecue, which could be a small grill on the deck, and drop-in neighbors can then join in a barbecue.  In more southern places, what is barbecued would be whole carcasses or substantial cuts of flesh or fowl (as specified in the OED entry), cooked and smoked for some hours in a larger structure containing coals or low flames, and an occasion called a barbecue would be a more elaborate festive gathering, typically with dozens in attendance.
>>
>> And while we're on the subject:  the OED should include the spelling "barbeque," which garners upwards of 6 million Google hits, and which Wikipedia labels a "common spelling variant" (the OED gives three scattered quotations contianing the word thus spelled).
>>
>> --Charlie
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Victor Steinbok [aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM]
>> Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2011 2:24 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>
>> b.   wiener roast n. N. Amer. a barbecue at which wieners are cooked
>>> and served.
>>
>> A barbeque? Really? And here I thought it was just a late night campfire
>> activity with hot dogs skewered on sticks.
>
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