British potato farmers were angry and wanted the expression “couch potato” to be taken out of the dictionary because it harmed the vegetable’s image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary to replace the expression with the term “couch slouch”, with protests being outside Parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press.
Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 planters and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
“We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad for you,” she said on Monday.
“The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary’s fault but we want to use another term instead of “couch potato” because potatoes are naturally healthy.”
The OED says that “couch potato” began as American slang, meaning “a person who spends his or her leisure time sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes.”
The Potato Council says its campaign is backed by dieticians (饮食学家) who say the vegetable is low in fat and high in vitamin C.
Supporting the campaign, famous cook Antony Worrall Thompson said the vegetable was one of Britain’s favorite foods.
“Not only are they healthy, they are also convenient and yummy (美味). Life without potato is like a sandwich without a filling,” he said.
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said “dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses.”
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words in 20 volumes.
But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words then they get taken out of the smaller dictionaries,” he added.
The first known recorded use of the expression “couch potato” was in an article in Los Angeles Times, in 1979, Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
小题1:British potato farmers wanted to _________.A．advertise their producesB．call for a higher price for their potatoesC．remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionaryD．let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives小题2:The farmers think that _________.A．potatoes have had a bad imageB．Potatoes are good for people by natureC．potatoes sometimes do harm to peopleD．it’s the dictionary’s fault to use the expression “couch potato”小题3:John Simpson thinks that _________.A．the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionaryB．dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society usesC．little-used words can remain in the smaller dictionariesD．it is impossible for them to take the expression out of the dictionary小题4:What is wrong with the expression “couch potato” according to the farmers in this passage?A．It is connected with unfavorable meaning.B．Potato should be used in the expression.C．It is borrowed from America English.D．It refers to a kind of person.