OK, no intention to offend here; I am merely speaking my mind, and this is blog world so I'm allowed to do so.
I absolutely hate the phrase "trunk or treat." For anyone not aware of what I'm referring to, the jist is this: groups get together in a parking lot and people decorate their trunks, and little kids go around the parking lot trick-or-treating at various trunks. They call it a "trunk or treat."
But WHY?
The phrase "trick or treat," is "an idle threat to play a trick on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given." Give me a treat, or I'll play a trick on you.
Replacing "trick" with "trunk" makes ZERO SEMANTIC SENSE. It is not parallel in ANY way. I'll give you a trunk if you don't give me a treat? I'll play a trunk on you? You give me a treat, or I'll take that trunk of yours and whap you upside the head?
Shaner says someone thought it was clever that "trunk" kind of sounds like "trick" and so they made up this little alternative trick-or-treating "play on words." Little did that person know, the phrase would catch on like wildfire and annoy the heck out of me for years and years to come.
Just speaking my peace here. I avoid saying this forbidden phrase at all costs. I'd much rather say "neighborhood Halloween party."
4 comments:
The phrase never made sense to me either. Last night we had our stakes' "neighborhood Halloween party" and the kids loved it. When I told one of my non-LDS friends about it today, they looked at me very strange and of course I had to explain the nonsense. I guess we'll just have to add this word to the many other wacky LDS terms out there like "Bee-Hives", "Merry-Miss", "Mia-Maids" and "Laurels". Who comes up with these names! These have alwasy annoyed me as well, how about you?
I've had the experience with people that have wrong names. I know one now that should be Kathy, but she is Mary. I have just had to correct myself before speaking.
P.S. What's with a different account?
Grandmit
I'll learn the ropes after a while. I answered the new topic on this older site.But, now about the disagreements about words. Might as well let it go and do as the Romans do while in Rome. It's like the idioms in all the langruages. On the Eastern Shore they used to say,"What kind of way doing is that?" Does that make sense to you? I haven't been there for a while, so I don't know if they still talk like that. Another one is "looking so forward" to something. Or maybe it was my roommate from Baltimore that said that? I think so. I thought that was so funny! How can you look more forward than forward? English teachers everywhere have told me not to say "You all." But it just seems too formal to say, "all of you." So I still say, "You all." Or even, "Y'all!" especially in the South. I love it!
So, if their culture says, "Trunk or Treat," at least it has alliteration. It's the word "or" that is at fault. If it would be "and" it would fit. That's it - Trunk & Treat, or Trunk of Treats. Say it fast, and who's to know what your middle word is? Trunk-a-Treat! Anyway, my point is that people use it and it means something to them, so let it go!
Grandmit.
Just FYI... Trunk or Treat is not just used by LDS... I have neighbors of other faiths who also do the" Trunk or treat " phrase too.
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