Comments on: Open Thread: Scorpion That Stung My Child Edition

By: Shy Guy

Shy Guy — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:14:59 +0000

No but I did see the MS commercial last week (now there's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw“target=”_blank”>another one!) and I did watch the Bee Movie a few weeks ago. MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!

By: israellycool

israellycool — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:40:04 +0000

Was Bill Gates also in your dream?

By: Shy Guy

Shy Guy — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:16:45 +0000

I should never have read this last week. Friday night I had a dream about a yellow scorpion that talked…………….. in the voice of Jerry Seinfeld. Now that's frightening!

By: CJrun

CJrun — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:46:57 +0000

Dave, Trish is picking on me. I know it's the Sabbath for you, now, but when the Sun goes down, please tell her to Stop! For my part, I have to drive all the way out to Polk County to visit with my girlfriend, then use all of my skills to appear to be paying attention while I mow a 3 acre lawn and await the Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Buffalo Bills, tomorrow at 1 pm Eastern time. As such, I am approaching my "Sabbath," during which I will possibly install a radio and head phones on her tractor, plus not be allowed to go anywhere near my computer, much less near a site that has the vaguest whiff of politics. I offer this Olive Branch: I will give up on the semantics discussion, if you folks will root for the Jaguars and have some sympathy for the guy trying to appear earnest and helpful, but that really is just trying to hear the score. My best to the sore Dave Daughter and a fine weekend to all….

By: Trish

Trish — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:49:17 +0000

Actually, I'm using older, diligent dictionaries, not the new lazy kind. A venomous poison is an attacking poison, but it is a subcategory of poison. All venom is, by definition, poisonous, but not all poison is venom. Sorry, but I'm a word wonk.

By: CJrun

CJrun — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:12:57 +0000

Trish, I get it. In the real world, the difference is action at a distance. Let's get back to the original point. Animals that can reach out and grab you are venomous. Poisonous or toxic is something you have to reach out and touch (or an evil person has to bring to you). Lazy, modern dictionaries don't change words. Usage, doesn't matter, just because lazy people group words. Venemous is an attack. I promise, I will be as obstinate as are you. Just look at my avatar; that's me at 3. I cropped out my sister and she hit me with a folding chair. So I stabbed her with a screwdriver. You don't have a folding chair, do you? I lament the loss of the meanings of words.

By: Trish

Trish — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:35:21 +0000

I get what you're saying. However, venom is a subcategory of poison. Perhaps the word is used differently in different places and fields, but in general, a poison is anything that causes you damage. Venom is an injected poison. It isn't different from a poison; it's a specific type of poison. Also, in gardening, a poisonous plant is one that causes illness or irritation. A toxic plant will kill you.

By: CJrun

CJrun — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:20:40 +0000

Fine point, but I also didn't spell venomous correctly; I was messing around, testing the new comment tool. However, the distinction is important; poison, used as a word in nature refers to passive contact. Venom refers to predatorily injected substances. With bees, wasps, and jellyfish in the venom department they wouldn't be predatory, towards a humans. How's this: As with animals, I deal with toxic (make you sick) and hazardous (attack you) materials and try to convey the difference to employees or bystanders. In a way, toxic/posonous, you have to touch it/ingest it/not wash your hands; that sort of thing, Hazardous, as with venomous comes at you. Two careful, but different responses required by the recipient. Even something as simple as Poison Ivy can look so different When I was a young biologist, somebody tested me on a tree identification and I knew, almost instantly, it was not really a tree, but a kid might have been fooled; it was an entire tree that was Poison Ivy. However, with a poison, if you don't eat it, if you wash your face and hands, you'll be OK. Not so, with an injection of venom.

By: Trish

Trish — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:27:39 +0000

Actually, your distinction is not quite correct. Scorpions and snakes have venom, which is a type of poison. According to the dictionary, poison is anything that causes harm when it comes in contact with the body, either by injection, ingestion, or touch (e.g. poison ivy). And if my kid were bitten by a scorpion, I don't think I'd really care about the distinction at that moment anyway.

By: CJrun

CJrun — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:43:49 +0000

Poisonous scorpions and snakes are very bad; they will make you sick if you eat them. Venemous scorpions or snakes, now those are truly bad things, as they can make you sick, even if you don't eat them! (sorry, but these ARE different things!) [plus I'm just testing out this new comment tool; it's not so bad]