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Re: Wimpy

Posted by ESC on March 05, 2002

In Reply to: Re: Fast Food Weenie posted by bob on March 05, 2002

: : : : : : weather weenies -- "But there are some weather weenies out there, weather junkies. Some people told us they were throwing their radios out when we went automated." From The Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2002: an article, "Weather's Voice: Partly Sunny, Chance of Blunder," about "Donna" and "Craig," two computerized voices being tested by the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio. The original voice, "Paul," has been dubbed by critics as Mr. Roboto, Sven, Igor, and Arnold.

: : : : : When I created a web site for an famous "Imaging Company" last year, I learned that "Photo weenie" is photography industry slang for a photography enthusiast. I actually made a pie chart at one point with a slice labled "photo weenies."

: : : : Now we're going to have to look up the origin and first use of "weenie." Since we're "word weenies."

: : : Now I am confused - a thing not desperately uncommon these days. I thought that a "weenie" was a slightly deprecating US insult for someone intended to belittle or trivialise them. I had presumed that this had come from "wiener", apparently a US hotdog (though what the Vienna conection is beats me). I have certainly before now heard a friend describe her hapless ex-boyfriend as only "having a weenie", and there the imagery is all too clear.

: : : There is of course the Scottish word "wee" meaning small, and this may have got subconsciously thrown in the melting pot too.

: : : BY THE WAY... why is it that mince/minced beef in the USA is referred to as Hamburger, when it allegedly has no pork product in it? Please don't try to convince me that there's yet another German connection, because I'm not buying it... am I? I can't remember what McDonalds claims to sell - is it hamburger (and if so, why?) or is it beefburger? I'm sure I remember a chain of greasy restaurants in the UK called Wimpy, where you could either choose a beefburger or a hamburger, dependant upon which animal upon which you wanted to munch. This would seem to make sense to me.

: :
: : I think the hamburger is called a hamburger because it's fashioned after German equivalent, steak tartar - but cooked because no American would eat raw burger - though it *would be fast*. The hamburger lable was probably a marketing ploy to make it seem exotic. Bloody Marketeers. ;)

: : I know Wimpy and I an assure you that none of the alleged meat served has even the the slightest similarity with beef OR pork. Again, bloody marketeers.

: : Anyway, a weenie is also a hotdog.

: Weenie was (is) deprecating, but so is Geek, and there are many who proudly wear their geekitude on their sleeves. Likewise Nerd. It's getting harder to insult people these days: so many people pre-empt the insult by waving it around like a banner. Word weenies unite. I guess carnivores should unite, too, we have nothing to lose but our chain restaurants. ("One man's meat is another man's poisson.")

Wimpy refers to a "Popeye the Sailor Man" character: "J. Wellington Wimpy, who first appears (nameless) as a referee in one of Popeye's fights. he eventually was given a name and became famous for his phrase, I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."
http://www.math.pitt.edu/~bard/bardware/popeye/faq.html