Corn? What the hell do you want? (Little bit of a childish rant) (America)

[Druidus]

I hate it when people say "Pass the corn." You see, corn could be any number of different types of kernels! I make it a point to pass them flour (wheat is a type of corn). If you want the cylindrical, yellow coloured, soft kerneled corn, than ask for it! Say, "Pass the maize, please.". But for the sake of me and my longing for "archaic" word usages, do not say pass the corn!

maize

n 1: tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times [syn: corn, Indian corn, Zea mays] 2: a strong yellow color [syn: gamboge, lemon, lemon yellow]


corn1 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kôrn)
n.

1. Any of numerous cultivated forms of a widely grown, usually tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) bearing grains or kernels on large ears.

Yes, I do know that it is in some dictionaries as meaning maize, but that's only because of informal usage. Bring back the word maize!


What words really annoy you, either because they don't really exist, or because people use them wrong?

[Green Gaia]

Originally Posted by Druidus

Say, "Pass the maize, please."

That could be confusing (and messy) at the RF family dinner.

[cardero]

In North America we say Pass The Peas.

[Melody]

Originally Posted by Druidus

Say, "Pass the maize, please.". But for the sake of me and my longing for "archaic" word usages, do not say pass the corn! ?

When I taught in a one room schoolhouse off the coast of Maine, we grew some "maize" from heirloom seeds. It bears no resemblance to the sweet luscious corn we eat here during the summer. So in this case, "pass the corn."

[Lycan]

When someone calls a driver's license a them or a they.

example:

person1: "Have you gotten your driver's license yet"
person2: "No, I have to go pick them up today"

That just drives me insane...

[Druidus]

Maize used to look a lot different in the 1600's (it used to be shapes almost like a radish), and it is only the way it is today because of selective plant breeding. There are many varieties of maize as well.

[painted wolf]

what about Selu?
Maize is only one name for this all important crop.

according to your dictionary entry Corn is synonomus with Maize.. both are Zea mays (the scientific name for corn/Maize/Selu)

getting more archaic I prefer "please pass Selu"

wa:do

[No*s]

Originally Posted by Druidus

I hate it when people say "Pass the corn." You see, corn could be any number of different types of kernels! I make it a point to pass them flour (wheat is a type of corn). If you want the cylindrical, yellow coloured, soft kerneled corn, than ask for it! Say, "Pass the maize, please.". But for the sake of me and my longing for "archaic" word usages, do not say pass the corn!

maize

n 1: tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times [syn: corn, Indian corn, Zea mays] 2: a strong yellow color [syn: gamboge, lemon, lemon yellow]


corn1 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kôrn)
n.

1. Any of numerous cultivated forms of a widely grown, usually tall annual cereal grass (Zea mays) bearing grains or kernels on large ears.

Yes, I do know that it is in some dictionaries as meaning maize, but that's only because of informal usage. Bring back the word maize!


What words really annoy you, either because they don't really exist, or because people use them wrong?

I say "pass the corn" .

There are probably too many words that annoy me. One big one is "irregardless." When someone says this, they mean "regardless," but they're prefixing "not" to it. It drives me batty.

Another is that I hate it when someone says, "I'm going to program my computer," when they really mean "I'm going to install Windows." I once offered to give a guy a C compiler so that he could "program" his computer .

[Lightkeeper]

I find this topic cornfusing and there's not a kernel of truth in it. It amaizes me how someone could get their cob in a knot over this subject. Just grain and bear it.( I love it when I beat Net Doc to the punch.)