Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a lifetime....

http://www.theregister.com/2007/03/19/spag_bol/

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Hurl


"Chatty Cathy" wrote in message
...
Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a
lifetime....

http://www.theregister.com/2007/03/19/spag_bol/

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Mar 19, 2007, Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.

KevinS wrote:
On Mar 19, 2007, Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.



This usage of "scoff" is a British slang word and means : to eat
(food) quickly and greedily.

And scarf is also a slang term meaning : To eat or drink voraciously;
devour

Melondy

"KevinS" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 19, 2007, Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a
lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.


Kevin, you are channeling me. EVERY time I see someone use "scoff" for
"scarf" it galls me. But then, I have made similar mistakes, so pfffft.

"Scarf it up" was such a classic hippy-dippy phrase, I thought the term
originated in the late 60s!

"Melondy" wrote in message
et...
KevinS wrote:
On Mar 19, 2007, Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a
lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.



This usage of "scoff" is a British slang word and means : to eat (food)
quickly and greedily.


ohhhhhh, really? I had no idea.

"cybercat" wrote:
"KevinS" writes:
Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a
lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.

Kevin, you are channeling me. EVERY time I see someone use "scoff" for
"scarf" it galls me.

Why... they are indeed interchangeable by alteration of dialect...
with gluttonous consumption either form is *equally* correct.

Merriam Webster

5scarf
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: by alteration
: 3scoff 1 scarfed down my sandwich
---

3scoff
Function: verb
Etymology: alteration of dialect scaff to eat greedily
transitive senses
1 : to eat greedily
2 : SEIZE -- often used with up
intransitive senses : to eat something greedily
---

Sheldon

On Mar 19, 4:18?pm, Melondy wrote:

This usage of "scoff" is a British slang word and means:
to eat (food) quickly and greedily.

And scarf is also a slang term meaning : To eat or drink
voraciously; devour

Fair enough. So the question then becomes whether the one
derives from the other. Intuitively, I would guess yes.

At the time of my earlier post, I had not consulted my
Shorter OED (circa 1968). It includes (paraphrasing to
level some obscure abbreviations):

1. to eat voraciously, devour, or, generally, to eat.
2. to eat or feed.
3. to seize, plunder.

"Sheldon" wrote in message
oups.com...
"cybercat" wrote:
"KevinS" writes:
Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a
lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.

Kevin, you are channeling me. EVERY time I see someone use "scoff" for
"scarf" it galls me.

Why...

Already been said, Sheldon. Please try to keep up.

"KevinS" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 19, 4:18?pm, Melondy wrote:

This usage of "scoff" is a British slang word and means:
to eat (food) quickly and greedily.

And scarf is also a slang term meaning : To eat or drink
voraciously; devour

Fair enough. So the question then becomes whether the one
derives from the other. Intuitively, I would guess yes.

At the time of my earlier post, I had not consulted my
Shorter OED (circa 1968). It includes (paraphrasing to
level some obscure abbreviations):

1. to eat voraciously, devour, or, generally, to eat.
2. to eat or feed.
3. to seize, plunder.


However ... I know Americans who mean "scarf" and say "scoff."
They have no idea there is a British slang term.

On Mar 19, 6:44?pm, cybercat wrote:

However ... I know Americans who mean "scarf" and say "scoff."
They have no idea there is a British slang term.-

Thank you for your comment.

I'm not being quarrelsome. I''m just saying that I have never
heard "scoff" in this context in the states. Maybe a local usage
I'm not aware of?

cyberSQUAT wrote:

"Sheldon" wrote in message
oups.com...
"cybercat" wrote:
"KevinS" writes:
Chatty Cathy wrote:

Average Brit scoffs 2,960 portions of spaghetti bolognese in a
lifetime....

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to be a spelling/grammar/usage
maven with this post.

I was interested in the word "scoff". In typical USA usage,
it means to mock or sneer. There is a similar sounding word
which means roughly "to consume in abundance or to excess".
The pronunciation is "scarf" or "skarf". I have several dictionaries,
but they're old enough that this usage is not shown.

Kevin, you are channeling me. EVERY time I see someone use "scoff" for
"scarf" it galls me.

Why...

Already been said, Sheldon. Please try to keep up.


Nothing can erase the shame of your ignorant twotiness in that stoopid
"Chuck cuts" thread you started...

--
Best
Greg

On 19 Mar 2007 19:26:57 -0700, "KevinS" rummaged
among random neurons and opined:

On Mar 19, 6:44?pm, cybercat wrote:

However ... I know Americans who mean "scarf" and say "scoff."
They have no idea there is a British slang term.-

Thank you for your comment.

I'm not being quarrelsome. I''m just saying that I have never
heard "scoff" in this context in the states. Maybe a local usage
I'm not aware of?

Y'know, I wonder if this has to do with American v. English accents. I
mean, most Brits I know would pronounce "scarf" as "scawf." shrug

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--
"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

On Mar 20, 2007, Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:

Y'know, I wonder if this has to do with American v. English
accents. I mean, most Brits I know would pronounce "scarf"
as "scawf." shrug

No, the headline in The Register used the word "scoff".

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:

Y'know, I wonder if this has to do with American v. English accents. I
mean, most Brits I know would pronounce "scarf" as "scawf." shrug

The "Brits" you know must be speaking with some regional accent. In
standard English, "scarf" is pronounced as "scahf", long "ah" (exactly
the same as in "car", pronounced "cah"; I do not know anyone who would
pronounce it as "caw"). "Scoff" is pronounced as "scohf", short "oh".
In my experience in England, "scoff", though indeed slang, is fairly
common usage; "scarf" is hardly ever used in the same sense.

Victor
who is just a pretentious non-native English speaker