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What's the Right Word?
Aug. 22nd, 2004 12:59 pmA few days ago, I bought a... container of pistachio nuts. (I love pistachios; every so often I spend a few days gorging on them.) I've been staring at the container, trying to figure out what to call it.
It's made of transparent light plastic (not durable; if I dropped it, it might flex or it might burst), with a flimsy plastic lid. It's not quite cylindrical - about 5.5" tall, about 4.5" across at the top but only 3.5" at the bottom. (Technically, it's a frustum of a cone, but let's not go there.) If it were glass, I'd call it a jar; metal would make it a can. If it were more squat in shape, it would be a tub. "Container" is truthful but imprecise. "Barrel" might fit if it were somewhat larger.
Wottinell is this thing?
It's made of transparent light plastic (not durable; if I dropped it, it might flex or it might burst), with a flimsy plastic lid. It's not quite cylindrical - about 5.5" tall, about 4.5" across at the top but only 3.5" at the bottom. (Technically, it's a frustum of a cone, but let's not go there.) If it were glass, I'd call it a jar; metal would make it a can. If it were more squat in shape, it would be a tub. "Container" is truthful but imprecise. "Barrel" might fit if it were somewhat larger.
Wottinell is this thing?
