Greetings:
Some time ago NPR interviewed two young women who were editing
publications that ferret out the latest trends by tracking the life-styles
of teens.
One question: What, exactly do you mean by cool? The respondent,
nonplussed at such ignorance: Well, of course, we mean what's hot!
There is a word for this, in the handbooks of rhetoric, that I don't
remember.
Cheers,
Horst Huber
On Mon, 19 Jul 2004, Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S., Curator of Historical Collections wrote:
> > I must respectfully disagree. "Cold" is not the linguistic successor to
> > "cool." When Donkey says, "That's cold" to Shrek, it is not a compliment.
> > The current correct word to demonstrate approbation (and my teen-age
> > children confirm this), is "sweet." NB - When spoken, it should be
> > pronounced "sweeeeet."
>
> Steve is absolutely right. "That's cold" means "That's nasty, mean,
> sneaky, cruel, or despicable." Moreover, at least in Syracuse, the
> traditional "That's cool" is commonly expressed as either "That's hot"
> or -- Surprise! -- "That's cool."
>
> Cheers!
>
> Eric
>
> --
> Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S.
> Curator of Historical Collections, Health Sciences Library
> Lecturer, Center for Bioethics and Humanities
> SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210
> <http://web.upstate.edu/lufte/> -- 315-464-4585
> Listowner: ALHHS-L <http://web.upstate.edu/lufte/alhhs-l.html>
> Preferred e-mail address: <mailto:gegensatz@alumni.bowdoin.edu>
>
> "Be always sure you're right, then go ahead."
> -- Davy Crockett
> [Autobiography, 1834, title page]
>