[Ads-l] Underwear ad

[Charles C Doyle]

Has anyone else always wondered whether the brand name "Fruit of the Loom" intends to echo (bawdily? sacrilegiously? subliminally?) the expression "fruit of the womb"?


--Charlie

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, July 6, 2016 1:53:33 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Underwear ad

---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Underwear ad
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> On Jul 6, 2016, at 5:45 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>=20
> "These Fruit of the Loom breathable underwear are perfect!"
>=20
> Once upon a time, this would have read:
>=20
> "This Fruit of the Loom breathing underwear is perfect."
>=20
> Oh, well.
>=20
Maybe the adperson was British.  Underwear (especially if it's on the =
same side) work(s) together collectively as a team, so it's like =
"Portugal are favoured over Wales in the semis".

LH

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