Martyn
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 9:12 pm
Post subject: Re: trash, rubbigh, garbage and waste |
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"Soo" <someone@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2thvu2F201vb6U1@uni-berlin.de...
| Quote: | Please, let me know the difference of the following four words: trash,
rubbish, garbage and waste.
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american, british, american and british ? |
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Pat Durkin
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 12:16 am
Post subject: Re: trash, rubbigh, garbage and waste |
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"Soo" <someone@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2thvu2F201vb6U1@uni-berlin.de...
| Quote: | Please, let me know the difference of the following four words: trash,
rubbish, garbage and waste.
|
In the US all of these words (and a few more) can refer to something no
longer useful, and destined for final destruction, recycling, or disposal.
As to individual (US) meanings, context will determine usage.
"Trash" is a general informal term. It can be applied contemptuously to
people ("poor white trash") as an indication of their worthlessness.
Otherwise, it can be applied to garden trimmings, animal offal, paper and
many other materials. "Trash talk" would be gossip that tends to describe
people and their actions in a way so as to diminish them.
"Rubbish" is another general term. I haven't heard it applied to people, so
much as to what some people say (in debates, arguments, or in telling
outrageous stories and myths.) "Everything you just said is "rubbish", and
not worth the time to listen to." It is used to describe items that have no
use, and which are destined for destruction/disposal.
"Garbage", can be used metaphorically in both senses of "trash" and
"rubbish", though less commonly, but in the real sense, I use it to refer to
food remains and the like which are to be disposed of (in household
"disposal units") or otherwise consigned to public sewers or public
sanitation pick-ups. Gardening and butchering trimmings and the like which
are not "recyclable" in a household are "garbage".
"Waste" is not a word I ever have heard applied to people, in the
contemptuous usages of "trash and rubbish", though when people's plans go
bad and result in the expenditure of much effort, money, hope and the like,
all to no avail, then the futility of the enterprise can be described as
"What a waste of (time, effort, hope, etc)."
Thus waste can mean something that is totally damaged and useless, or
recoverable at further great cost.
In any manufacture, however, "waste" or "wastage" can be simply material
produced in excess of that needed for making an item: material which can be
easily recovered and recycled. Example: excess dough from cutting out
cookies and other round pastries. Metals in the stamping process in
factories can (may) be recycled by re-heating, re-rolling and the like.
Chemicals that are wastes from various processes (I am thinking of
de-rusting solutions, photographic film stabilizing chemicals, and the like)
can be recovered in plant or sold to other companies.
Many more specifics can be found in most dictionaries, with good examples as
to usage. Try www.m-w.com (for US meanings. That is the company that
prints Merriam-Webster dictionaries). Most of these online dictionaries
will allow you to save an icon to your toolbar for quick reference.
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 12:42 am
Post subject: Re: trash, rubbigh, garbage and waste |
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On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 18:16:10 GMT, "Pat Durkin" <durkinpa@peoplepc.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | "Waste" is not a word I ever have heard applied to people
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It is used indirectly as in "<someone> is a waste of space".
For example
http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39124601,00.htm
<quote>
CIO – tech, exec or waste of space?
October 01 2004
....
We asked our readers how they view their CIO, IT director or head of IT [1]–
with the option of "a techie", "a businessperson", "a mix of the two" or "a
waste of space".
</quote>
[1] CIO: Chief Information Officer; IT: Information Technology.
--
Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from a.e.u) |
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