"Sesame Aware"

[Laurence Horn]

On Oct 4, 2013, at 10:38 AM, Charles C Doyle wrote:

> I suppose it's deemed important to acknowledge that peanuts, notwithstanding the name, are not (technically speaking) nuts.  (Nor are they sesame.)
>
> --Charlie

True enough, as with the dormouse (neither a door nor a mouse) or the Holy Roman Empire.  And then there's peanut butter, which contains no peas, nuts, or butter.

LH

>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Laurence Horn [laurence.horn at YALE.EDU]
> Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 9:38 AM
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Oct 4, 2013, at 9:23 AM, Martin Kaminer wrote:
>
>> "REMINDER: The Heschel School is a nut/peanut/sesame aware school.
>> Students should not bring or eat food items containing these
>> ingredients.  Please make sure your child's school snacks are nut,
>> peanut, and sesame free.  Many thanks for your attention to this
>> matter."
>>
>> I must admit it sounds more mellifluous than the alternative "Nut-Free Zone"
>>
> Perhaps so, but it does seem as though "aware" is a bit of an understatement (or even euphemism) for what amounts to a banning.  "Sesame-wary"?
>
> I suppose "nut/sesame-free" zone, besides the unwanted ambiguity you rightly suggest, is too insulting to the offending items (and indirectly to those who consume them), alluding to smoke-free, drug-free, et al. But I see there are lots of hits for "nut-free" in other contexts, the first hit being for the Nut-Free Mom blog.
>
> LH
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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