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December 02, 2006
Two new pleonasms make today something special
"Genuine leather."
And "tuna fish."
Now, the former is one everyone will smile at but the latter gets into some tender territory.
I would hazard that over 95% of native English-speakers say "tuna fish" as opposed to "tuna."
Nevertheless, it's time for a change.
December 2, 2006 at 02:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Tuna sandwich?
Posted by: Skipweasel | Dec 6, 2006 6:09:43 PM
What's the problem here? You order a fish sandwich. Do you want tuna or halibut? I'll take the tuna. That's why it's called a tuna fish sandwich. Consider a corned beef sandwich versus an Italian beef sandwich. You got different fish just like you got different beef.
Posted by: David Weston | Dec 6, 2006 12:07:24 AM
I'm a total idiot. I'm just figuring out this pleonasm thing. I thought it was some kind of imploding tumor, and I stopped listening. But it seems to be this kind of thing:
Tooth dentist
Widow woman
Two twins
Hose pipe (kind of)
Big fat (ditto)
Kitty cat
Stupid idiot
Am I on the right track?
Posted by: Flautist | Dec 4, 2006 8:57:40 PM
I can't believe I hadn't noticed "tuna fish." In-freaking-credible. I hope to donate equally useful words in the future, but from the look of things, pleonasm may be hard to beat.
Posted by: Matthew Leavitt | Dec 4, 2006 1:06:53 PM
