[Ads-l] X snob shift

[Benjamin Barrett]

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snob <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snob>) has a rundown on the word snob, and it says that both definitions are pejorative. 

The Oxford Dictionary site (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/snob <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/snob>) and Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snob <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snob>) do not go into such detail but pretty much agree with each other in that they say that a snob considers themself superior to others, either in taste or status.

The use of “X snob,” however, seems to be different in connotation.

Earlier this year, I heard a customer at a coffee shop declare herself to be a “scone snob” and today, I saw an announcement for a professional get-together that included the words “beer snobs.”

In this usage, I don’t think there is a pejorative sense.

Because of this loss of negative connotation, I think the word can simply mean having discerning taste or being really, really into something, and not necessarily superior.

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA

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