Comment on Physicists vs Normal People

• merc@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

  I’m aware that British people think it’s called petrol, but you’re mistaken if you think that it’s only the US that calls it Gasoline. That’s the term used for most of the English-speaking Americas, including Canada and many former British colonies like Bermuda and the Bahamas. In fact, if you include Latin America’s “gasolina” it’s almost the entire Americas. And if you include variants on that name you’ll also have to include Japan and Korea. In fact, “gasoline” has even invaded the British isles. Variations of “gasoline” are sometimes used in Welsh, Scots Gaelic and Irish.

  But, anyhow, my point was more that “gas isn’t even a gas” is as dumb as “petrol isn’t even petroleum”. “Gas” is just a short form for “gasoline”, nobody’s suggesting it’s in a gaseous state, just like nobody is suggesting that petrol is literally just a short form of petroleum, despite the obvious similarity of the words. This is English, the language where “read” and “read” are two different words pronounced differently. It’s no major issue to have “gas” be a short form of gasoline as well as being a state of matter, though it does sound funny if you say something like “gas is a liquid”.

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  • FiskFisk33@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

    This is English, the language where “read” and “read” are two different words pronounced differently.

    rofl

    I’ll be saving that one

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