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I know colloquial usage has changed but I can't get over "vibration dampener" vs "vibration damper". In olden times, the former would make your phone wet via v

by RhysU 3y ago

I know colloquial usage has changed but I can't get over "vibration dampener" vs "vibration damper". In olden times, the former would make your phone wet via vibration (how left as an exercise to the reader) while the latter would attenuate or suppress or reduce vibration. A damper [1] doth damp, dammit. [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damper https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damper

CalRobert 3y ago
The stalwarts of linguistic precision weep as the world moves on. I still cringe at "I wish I was there" instead of "I wish I were there" (they're both correct but mean different things!). But then, it's a potentially heated topic and the discourse could prove inflammable. I eagerly await Steinway's new piano featuring a dampener pedal.
- thunfischbrot 3y ago
  The product video features the WINNINGEST MOTOX RACER OF ALL TIME (at 0:30) which in terms of linguistic precision almost wraps around from awful to awesome.
thedanbob 3y ago
That mistake makes a lot of sci-fi unintentionally funny. Especially if you interpret "energy dampener" to be some guy that runs around shooting any electronics with a water gun.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  How else do you keep the electronics cool?
EdwardDiego 3y ago
https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampen#etymonline_v_29154 https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampen#etymonline_v_29154 > dampen (v.) 1630s, "to dull or deaden, make weak" (force, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.), from damp (adj.). Meaning "to moisten, make humid" is recorded from 1827. https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampener#etymonline_v_36691 https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampener#etymonline_v_36691 > dampener (n.) > "one who or that which dampens," It's an older phrasing, but it checks out.
shkkmo 3y ago
A "damper" and a "dampener" are actually technical terms that can be used to distinguish two different types of devices. Here, "dampener" is actually correct. [0] [0] https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/dampener-vs-damper https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/dampener-vs-damper
- unbalancedevh 3y ago
  Ha-ha, that website can't even figure it out: > How To Use Damper In A Sentence The rain put a damper on our plans for a picnic in the park. ... Examples Of Using Dampener In A Sentence The rainy weather put a dampener on our outdoor plans.
  - shkkmo 3y ago
    I think that would be an example of overlap in meaning, not sure how that shows "the website can't figure it out" since such overlaps are explicitly mentioned.

by RhysU 3y ago

CalRobert 3y ago

The stalwarts of linguistic precision weep as the world moves on. I still cringe at "I wish I was there" instead of "I wish I were there" (they're both correct but mean different things!). But then, it's a potentially heated topic and the discourse could prove inflammable. I eagerly await Steinway's new piano featuring a dampener pedal.

thunfischbrot 3y ago
The product video features the WINNINGEST MOTOX RACER OF ALL TIME (at 0:30) which in terms of linguistic precision almost wraps around from awful to awesome.

thedanbob 3y ago

That mistake makes a lot of sci-fi unintentionally funny. Especially if you interpret "energy dampener" to be some guy that runs around shooting any electronics with a water gun.

mrguyorama 3y ago
How else do you keep the electronics cool?

EdwardDiego 3y ago

https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampen#etymonline_v_29154 https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampen#etymonline_v_29154 > dampen (v.) 1630s, "to dull or deaden, make weak" (force, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.), from damp (adj.). Meaning "to moisten, make humid" is recorded from 1827. https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampener#etymonline_v_36691 https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampener#etymonline_v_36691 > dampener (n.) > "one who or that which dampens," It's an older phrasing, but it checks out.

shkkmo 3y ago

A "damper" and a "dampener" are actually technical terms that can be used to distinguish two different types of devices. Here, "dampener" is actually correct. [0] [0] https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/dampener-vs-damper https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/dampener-vs-damper

unbalancedevh 3y ago
Ha-ha, that website can't even figure it out: > How To Use Damper In A Sentence The rain put a damper on our plans for a picnic in the park. ... Examples Of Using Dampener In A Sentence The rainy weather put a dampener on our outdoor plans.
- shkkmo 3y ago
  I think that would be an example of overlap in meaning, not sure how that shows "the website can't figure it out" since such overlaps are explicitly mentioned.