[Ads-l] fluffle

[Jonathan Lighter]

Germane? Or meaningless coincidence?

1990 Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Dec. 12) A-2: Looking for the CHRISTMAS BUNNY?
Yes! A Bunny called Fluffles IS the Christmas Bunny. He's dressed in
holiday finery [etc.]

[Ad for a plush rabbit doll.]

JL

On Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 8:58 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 295,000 raw Googlits.
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 6:25 PM Chris Waigl <chris at lascribe.net> wrote:
>
>> What a rabbit hole :) ! Moonies and "northern Canada", huh?
>>
>> Well, there are no wild rabbits in northern Canada, so if there's anything
>> to this I'd be tempted to look into how local groups talk about snowshoe
>> hares and Arctic hares.
>>
>> Now, of course, this factoid has entered the mainstream and morphed into a
>> self-fulfilling prophecy.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 12:32 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I was recently forwarded this language factoid:
>> >
>> > "A group of wild rabbits is called a 'fluffle' and I've never loved the
>> > English language more."
>> > https://twitter.com/mastersrex/status/1315295446584168448
>> >
>> > I'm always curious how these things spread, and this one sent me down a
>> > rabbit-hole, appropriately enough. Here's a timeline:
>> >
>> > July 30, 2007: Wikipedia user Freeridr adds an unsourced claim to the
>> entry
>> > for "rabbit": "A group of rabbits or hares are often called a 'fluffle'
>> in
>> > parts of Northern Canada."
>> >
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rabbit&diff=prev&oldid=148126554
>> >
>> > Apr. 29, 2008: The text of the Wikipedia "rabbit" entry (including the
>> > "fluffle" line) is copied over to New World Encylopedia, a site run by
>> Sun
>> > Myung Moon's Unification Church.
>> >
>> https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Rabbit&oldid=699288
>> >
>> > Feb. 17, 2010: The "fluffle" line is deleted from Wikipedia by an editor
>> > ("Removed supposed naming of a group of rabbits as a 'fluffle', as I
>> can't
>> > verify it").
>> >
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rabbit&diff=prev&oldid=344646745
>> >
>> > Sept. 29, 2013: Reddit user AaronM97 asks, "What's a fact you know that
>> > will cheer me up?" Among the thousands of replies, user AmyEarhart
>> submits
>> > "a group of bunnies is called a fluffle."
>> >
>> >
>> https://web.archive.org/web/20130930183135/https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1nexqv/whats_a_fact_you_know_that_will_cheer_me_up/
>> > https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1nexqv/comment/cci0rsz/
>> >
>> > Oct. 5, 2013: Thought Catalog publishes "30 Random, Interesting Facts
>> That
>> > Will Cheer You Up" based on the Reddit thread, including AmyEarhart's
>> > "fluffle" submission.
>> >
>> >
>> https://web.archive.org/web/20131020055608/https://thoughtcatalog.com/timmy-parker/2013/10/30-facts-that-will-cheer-you-up/
>> >
>> > Mar. 19, 2014: Buzzfeed publishes "64 Facts That Will Make You Feel
>> > Incredibly Happy," which includes "a group of bunnies is called a
>> fluffle."
>> > The listicle links to the New World Encylopedia entry for "rabbit,"
>> which
>> > retained the "fluffle" line despite its removal from Wikipedia.
>> >
>> >
>> https://web.archive.org/web/20140319201849/https://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/facts-that-will-make-you-feel-incredibly-happy
>> >
>> > And from there it multiplied like rabbits all over the place!
>> >
>> > --bgz
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>> Chris Waigl . chris.waigl at gmail.com . chris at lascribe.net
>> http://eggcorns.lascribe.net . http://chryss.eu
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> 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."
>


-- 
"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