White Castle, what is this? I thought it was you and me against the world.
You invented the slider, basically defining it as a steam-griddled pickle-and-onion-slathered gutbomb when your founders opened in 1921.
I've gone to bat as a linguistic prescriptivist for your tiny hamburgers, seeking to eliminate the use of the term slider for anything not prepared in the manner of your iconic burgers.
And now you—YOU—apply the term to a tiny pulled pork sandwich?
When I have TO REMIND WHITE CASTLE WHAT A REAL SLIDER IS, I feel the foundations of my world crumbling.
Language is not static (obviously), and now that the word in common usage is used to describe a mini version of a larger sandwich I think you lost the war. You've basically been overruled by everyone including the inventor of the term. Personally I like keeping the definition as you described it in an earlier post. Alas, the world has spoken and we must listen.
@KingBoo: Yes. I think you may be right. I may also be crazy. But this lunatic will continue to make the distinction here on AHT between "slider" and "mini burger." But this will probably be the last of my rants about the term.
I emigrated to the UK ten years ago, and one thing I still cannot stand is the misuse of the word 'burger'. A cooked chicken breast on a bun is not a 'chicken burger'. A fried square of breaded fish on a bun is not a 'fish burger'.
You can't define and defend a singular version of what you think people should call a slider the same way the Neapolitans are for pizza. People have always defined things in a dynamic way. This is how language works. If it didn't we wouldn't have etymology that tells us the origins of words. I think its "cool" to use words loosely to "beef" up certain meanings, phrases and sentences. Be strict and thou shall not progress.
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7 Comments:
Language is not static (obviously), and now that the word in common usage is used to describe a mini version of a larger sandwich I think you lost the war. You've basically been overruled by everyone including the inventor of the term. Personally I like keeping the definition as you described it in an earlier post. Alas, the world has spoken and we must listen.
KingBoo at 12:44PM on 04/29/09
@KingBoo: Yes. I think you may be right. I may also be crazy. But this lunatic will continue to make the distinction here on AHT between "slider" and "mini burger." But this will probably be the last of my rants about the term.
Adam Kuban at 1:58PM on 04/29/09
Damnit, someone out here has to be the last bastion of proper slider-dom!
kaszeta at 2:44PM on 04/29/09
Hahaha, Adam, you must be freaking!
(And that use of the word "naughty" in the ad is bizarre and hilarious.)
maxcriden at 3:10PM on 04/29/09
If anyone is allowed to misuse the term, it is White Castle.
Big B at 4:57PM on 04/29/09
I emigrated to the UK ten years ago, and one thing I still cannot stand is the misuse of the word 'burger'. A cooked chicken breast on a bun is not a 'chicken burger'. A fried square of breaded fish on a bun is not a 'fish burger'.
NotAmerican at 10:01AM on 04/30/09
You can't define and defend a singular version of what you think people should call a slider the same way the Neapolitans are for pizza. People have always defined things in a dynamic way. This is how language works. If it didn't we wouldn't have etymology that tells us the origins of words. I think its "cool" to use words loosely to "beef" up certain meanings, phrases and sentences. Be strict and thou shall not progress.
Q80 BurgerBelly at 3:41PM on 05/02/09