3 ms·

we don't 'dig' oil out of the ground, we drill for it.

• DanBC 14y ago
  English is a versatile language, and words have many uses. (http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/04/oil_drilling http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/04/oil_dril...) > So, there is some gain to producing a barrel of oil. It can be used to generate energy, which can be put to various productive purposes. There is value in that energy, which is why it is economically desirable for companies to go dig this stuff up out of the ground. But of course, there is a cost to producing a barrel of oil. Here's someone talking about digging helium out of the ground. (http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/interactive_periodic_table_transcripts/helium.asp http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/interactive_period...) > Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but here on earth, it's rather rare. Most people guess that we extract helium from the air, but actually we dig it out of the ground. Helium can be found in certain parts of the world, notably in Texas, as a minor component in some sources of natural gas. And, with tar sands, we do dig the oil rather than drill it.