As an off shoot of Maria's variety/varietal thread of fascinating trivia albeit perhaps not much profundity, I thought it might be fun to discuss some other jargon words.
This poll is inspired by the following from Howard G. Goldberg, a New York Times wine writer:
In American newspaper wine journalism the word “varietal,” as in the context of "grape varietal," tends to be shunned by editors as geek speak. It has acquired a connotation of pretentiousness and is widely felt to be about a half-cut above the ugly portmanteau word “cultivar” as a no-no.
The "variety"-"varietal" choice poses a dilemma.
I myself have always felt somewhat ill at ease in routinely using “variety,” because the word contains single and plural senses, with the latter feeling stronger --- probably because when I was a tadpole Main Street always offered a so-called variety store (Woolworth’s) and theaters featured variety shows.
"Variety” can be seen as a litmus of writers’ tendencies. Its use suggests that they primarily side with readers’ and buyers' interests. "Varietal" plays to producers and middlemen.
Similarly, writers' use of “price points” (jargon if ever I saw it) instead of “prices” in print and conversation suggests that principally they identify with sellers, not buyers. (This judgment probably will ignite protests, and I will be jailed for disturbing the peace.)
I've added "winemaker" to Howard's list; it is emblematic to me of Winespeak's tendency to run words together.
How about you; what Winespeak jargon turns you off -- or on, as the case may be?
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