A retronym is a word coined to distinguish something new from an older, more generic version, such as electric guitar or clock radio. A couple of new retronyms are fine water, or “unprocessed water that reflects a region’s terroir” and water sommelier, a professional who procures and dispenses such water to a growing number of fine water enthusiasts. This is part of a complete episode.
I was drawn to the Retronym discussion. I remember that when I was a kid, supermarkets sold both Cereal and Cold Cereal. Now, they sell Cereal (née Cold Cereal) and Hot Cereal (née Cereal). That’s a swap in retronyms. What would you call that, an antallnym? (Thanks to AI for finding antallasso and antallagi meaning swap).
When your server brings food to the table and inquires as to who ordered which dish, that’s informally known in the restaurant biz as auctioning. If your meal is delayed because the person who took your order forgot about it, that’s called a...
Candace from Memphis, Tennessee, wonders about the phrase You’re eating me out of house and home. The emphatic doublet house and home is part of a long tradition that includes scared out of house and home and chased out of house and home. Even...
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I was drawn to the Retronym discussion. I remember that when I was a kid, supermarkets sold both Cereal and Cold Cereal. Now, they sell Cereal (née Cold Cereal) and Hot Cereal (née Cereal). That’s a swap in retronyms. What would you call that, an antallnym? (Thanks to AI for finding antallasso and antallagi meaning swap).