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Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:58 pm
by Jenise
"Handcrafted".

Spied in the fresh fish counter at the grocery store this weekend: "Handcrafted Fresh King Salmon Fillets".

IOW: it's farm-raised.

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 5:43 pm
by Howie Hart
And "Home made". You mean those frozen meatballs were made in somebody's home?

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:46 pm
by Karen/NoCA
Yikes, handcrafted fish? That is just bizarre!

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:46 pm
by Mike Filigenzi
I just don't see "handcrafted" as an appropriate adjective for most food. When I think of something that's handcrafted, I think of furniture or decorative items or birdhouses. Although I can see where people are coming from with this term, I don't see food as being "crafted".

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:22 am
by Jenise
Mike Filigenzi wrote:I just don't see "handcrafted" as an appropriate adjective for most food. When I think of something that's handcrafted, I think of furniture or decorative items or birdhouses. Although I can see where people are coming from with this term, I don't see food as being "crafted".


Precisely! There's a lot of cross-pollination going on in the descriptor world. A few weeks ago at a Canadian Costco, I saw an "artisanal" toilet.

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:20 am
by Rahsaan
Mike Filigenzi wrote:I just don't see "handcrafted" as an appropriate adjective for most food.


Similarly, I don't see the term 'handsell' as appropriate for an engaging exchange between wine retailer and customer.

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:32 am
by Jeff Grossman
Rahsaan wrote:Similarly, I don't see the term 'handsell' as appropriate for an engaging exchange between wine retailer and customer.

I can see that one: the bottle was sold by hand, not via the shelf-talker (or via recommendation or other media).

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:41 am
by Thomas
Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:
Rahsaan wrote:Similarly, I don't see the term 'handsell' as appropriate for an engaging exchange between wine retailer and customer.

I can see that one: the bottle was sold by hand, not via the shelf-talker (or via recommendation or other media).


Yes, the idea behind "handsell" is that the retailer holds the bottle, maybe even hands it to the customer. I think it fits. Of course, Rahsaan you aren't thinking of that kind of transaction, which probably wouldn't take place between retailer and avid wine consumer--more likely between retailer and the people who shop for wine at holiday time or for someone's birthday.

Jenise, I love artisanal toilet. I'm going to find a way to get that into conversations. :lol:

One of my favorites is 'large" as in a real estate sign I saw a couple of weeks ago: "large one-acre plots."

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:22 am
by Jeff Grossman
Thomas wrote:Yes, the idea behind "handsell" is that the retailer holds the bottle, maybe even hands it to the customer. I think it fits.

I once had a retailer kiss a bottle before he sold it to me. (This was in Italy, of course.)

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:34 am
by Karen/NoCA
There used to be Artesian Toilets. Borg-Warner sold their plumbing line which became Artesian, and then Artesian was bought out by Crane. Now the Artesian site is actually called Artesian Sinks and they don't even list toilets as one of their products.
Not sure about "Artesianal"......do they have birds painted inside the bowl or something? Costco lists Artesian toilets on their website.

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:29 pm
by Hoke
Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:
Thomas wrote:Yes, the idea behind "handsell" is that the retailer holds the bottle, maybe even hands it to the customer. I think it fits.

I once had a retailer kiss a bottle before he sold it to me. (This was in Italy, of course.)


LOL. Back in my halcyon youth when I worked the sales floor in a wine shop----and I did so love doing that---someone pointed out to me that when "hand selling" I quite literally did that: I would handle and fondle and caress the bottle while talking about it to the customer. When customers see you get physical (well, within limits, anyway :oops: ) with and passionate about a wine, they'll get interested in it too.

On a practical basis, if you're interested in selling (evangelizing) a good wine, it's smart tactically to pick up the bottle as the first step of getting the customer to get it in his/her hands. And I would take the occasion to run my palm across the front of the bottle, to clean up any potential dust and to put a slight glisten to the bottle from the oils on my palm. (Worked, more often than not too.) :D

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:32 pm
by Redwinger
Hoke wrote:And I would take the occasion to run my palm across the front of the bottle, to clean up any potential dust and to put a slight glisten to the bottle from the oils on my palm. (Worked, more often than not too.) :D


Hoke-
You musta been pretty slick back then.
BP

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:45 pm
by Hoke
Redwinger wrote:
Hoke wrote:And I would take the occasion to run my palm across the front of the bottle, to clean up any potential dust and to put a slight glisten to the bottle from the oils on my palm. (Worked, more often than not too.) :D


Hoke-
You musta been pretty slick back then.
BP


I prefer "unctious", 'winger. :wink:

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:07 pm
by Jenise
Karen/NoCA wrote:Not sure about "Artesianal"......do they have birds painted inside the bowl or something? Costco lists Artesian toilets on their website.


What I saw wasn't on their website, but an in-store display. But you might have hit on what happened--someone unfamiliar with the word 'Artesian' printed up a sign with 'artisanal' instead.

Btw, wasn't there a long-ago beer that advertised that it was made with 'artesian' water?

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:10 pm
by Hoke
Jenise wrote:
Karen/NoCA wrote:Not sure about "Artesianal"......do they have birds painted inside the bowl or something? Costco lists Artesian toilets on their website.


What I saw wasn't on their website, but an in-store display. But you might have hit on what happened--someone unfamiliar with the word 'Artesian' printed up a sign with 'artisanal' instead.

Btw, wasn't there a long-ago beer that advertised that it was made with 'artesian' water?


I wouldn't want to sit on a toilet that was labeled "Artesian". Would seem to be counter to the purpose, wouldn't it? Sometimes you want to go with the flow; sometimes you don't. :mrgreen:

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:28 pm
by Jenise
Hoke wrote: Sometimes you want to go with the flow; sometimes you don't. :mrgreen:


A bidet, then? :wink:

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 2:06 pm
by Rahsaan
Thomas wrote:
Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:
Rahsaan wrote:Similarly, I don't see the term 'handsell' as appropriate for an engaging exchange between wine retailer and customer.

I can see that one: the bottle was sold by hand, not via the shelf-talker (or via recommendation or other media).


Yes, the idea behind "handsell" is that the retailer holds the bottle, maybe even hands it to the customer.


Is that really the idea? I thought the core idea was that the retailer engaged in discussion with the consumer about what he/she wanted, irrespective of who actually picked up the bottle first.

Otherwise you could have someone come in and ask for something they noticed via the shelf-talker and have the retailer pick up the bottle because it's too heavy/the customer can't find it/whatever.

I know what it's supposed to mean, but it seems like an awfully imprecise and distracting way of getting to the point.

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:54 pm
by Jeff Grossman
Jenise wrote:Btw, wasn't there a long-ago beer that advertised that it was made with 'artesian' water?

Olympia Brewery:
http://www.lakelandbrewersguild.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Olympia-Beer-Labels-Olympia-Brewing-Company_44312-1.jpg

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 5:08 pm
by Thomas
Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:I once had a retailer kiss a bottle before he sold it to me. (This was in Italy, of course.)


Why hadn't I ever thought of that?

Hoke: I can easily conjure a vision of you fondling a bottle. Better that than fondling the customers. But then, you are not Italian.

Re: Another word that's lost its meaning

PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 5:49 pm
by GeoCWeyer
Ice sculpture..yes cake decoration maybe ...sausage....could be but salmon filets NO!