Paper Towelling

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Shannon, and I am calling from Milwaukee.

Hi, Shannon.

Hey, Shannon.

What’s going on?

Hi.

I have a question about a word my husband uses repeatedly, and he swears it’s an actual word.

He uses the word paper cowling, and I’ve never really thought much of it, and I kept threatening him that I was going to call you guys, and so I finally just did.

And I’m wondering if there is a slight chance, because his family uses it too, I’m just wondering if there’s a slight chance that it’s an actual proper form of the word or not.

He kind of qualifies it because of gossling and sapling, and I’m thinking, well, the way you’re using it, it should almost be a verb like Googling.

But anyway, you guys are the professionals.

So he cleans up the messes in your house.

Well, that’s good. That much is good.

It’s not like sapling or gossling, though. It’s more like clothing.

Right. There are exceptions where ing isn’t a verb in process.

So I’m just, we needed to have it settled in order to stay married.

I’m just kidding.

And he’s here ready to defend himself.

Oh, he is.

Bring him on.

We’ll finish wiping up that mess and have him get on the phone.

What’s your husband’s name?

His name is Corey. I’ll hand the phone over.

All right, great.

Hello.

Hi, Corey.

Corey.

So tell us, what’s the problem here? Why isn’t your wife automatically right?

I don’t know. I’ll be honest. I was ready to concede this a while ago because she probably is the smarter of the two of us.

I was actually listening to another one of the programs on public radio, and they were doing their special on grilling.

And one of the people on the network actually said that they were talking about making wine corn or something.

And the guy on there said that he wraps it in paper toweling, which restarted this whole thing again.

So I was like, see, I’m like, public radio cannot lie. They have to write it.

That’s not true.

Well, we got news for you, Corey.

No, but I mean, I think growing up, I mean, like I had heard things like machining or tooling.

And even like when my dad would do some woodwork and we had like dowel, but we also refer to it as like doweling.

Oh, doweling.

Okay.

Well, I think the problem here is the difference between the suffix l-i-n-g, ling, and the difference between verbs that have the verbal ending ing.

Like, I would read paper toweling as, well?

It’s both. Couldn’t it be both?

I guess it could be both.

Paper toweling could be the geron action of to paper towel something, right?

And it could also be the material.

Or the participle.

Could be oh I see where you see what I’m doing here’s the thing cory i think you’re right i think

You’re fine i like you and it’s not just because it’s not a guy thing it’s because we have we have

Parallelisms in english we talk about sacking for example and this means the material that sacks are

Made out of we talk about clothing this is the material that clothes are made out of right and

Paper toweling as a matter of fact is widely used in exactly the way that you use it but are you

Saying that that roll there of paper that you tear off is paper toweling? Because when you say

Paper toweling, I’m thinking about wallpapering a room with paper towels. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah, I just see, I mean, I guess anything that comes from the little roll, I mean, paper towel,

Paper toweling, whatever. And I think if there was just one, I would be like, oh, it’s a towel,

You know, kind of, there’s an idea that it is a group of these things with little, you know,

You can tear off one of many chunks, you know, kind of thing in there.

Right.

So it becomes like a toweling.

Corey, here’s the thing.

Martha may be willing to concede that you’re right.

I’m definitely willing to concede that you’re fine.

Let’s talk to Shannon again.

Yeah, let’s talk to Shannon again.

I will give you back to her then.

Here you go.

Isn’t he wonderful?

Yeah.

Yeah.

He seems like a nice guy, actually.

He’s great.

Here’s kind of what we decided.

I don’t know if you were listening with your ear right up to the phone next to him.

But I think he’s right, Shannon.

Oh, no.

I’m not so sure.

Because we have plenty of parallel words in English that are similar to this.

You can use the ing suffix to indicate a substance or material that comes in vague or indiscreet quantities.

In other words, you might have sacking, which is the material used to make sacks.

You might have piping, which is the material used to make pipes.

Aluminum siding.

Or you have the piping along the line of clothing, right?

Sighting is another example.

I think paper toweling can work for this.

It’s not the best use of it, but there’s certainly—

I agree. It’s not the best.

It’s not the best use.

Proven not least because you’re arguing about it.

I was going to say, can I hold on to that a little bit?

There are tons of people online who use it exactly the way your husband does.

Okay.

They’re wrong, too.

No.

Some of these people are professional people talking about their work.

It’s not just some joker in a discussion forum.

They’re talking about paper toweling the counter at the restaurant?

Craft projects and things like that.

I mean, yeah, if you’re making a little paper mache thing and you add some paper toweling, I can see that.

But I’m not going to call that roll of paper in the kitchen paper toweling.

I think that’s just weird.

Let’s just decide, Martha.

Here’s something I think we can agree on.

Look, if you can find and buy paper towels that don’t have perforation, that’s paper toweling.

If you find and buy paper towels that do have perforation, that’s paper towels.

How about that?

I like that.

Buy him his own roll of unperforated paper towel material, and you’re all set.

Grant just made that up.

I did make that up.

I’m exercising my authority.

I’m changing my language right here and now.

And that’s why we called you.

We needed someone to settle it, so thank you.

Oh, you said settle. I thought you wanted to muddle it.

Yeah, I think you’ve set us against each other.

Shannon, tell Corey he’s fine to go forward and use paper towel.

I will let him know.

So he has to wipe up everything.

On the other hand, do you, between the three of us, just listen really carefully.

You’ll find some other annoying thing that he says and just start in on that.

Yes.

Oh, I have a couple, but I thought I would call him the most prominent one.

Yeah, you’ve got to keep some in reserve.

Yeah.

That’s right.

Pace yourself.

Thanks for calling, Shannon.

It was a good time.

Thank you.

All right, bye-bye.

Bye.

What kind of language questions come up in your family?

What kind of arguments do you have?

877-929-9673 or tell us everything in email, words@waywordradio.org.