“play me online? well, you know that i’ll beat you / if i ever meet you i’ll control-alt-delete you”

[larryhammer]

The Halloween-adjacent event at Eaglet’s school, coming up this Friday evening, is called Spiders & Cider.

That name bugs me, and always has. Really bugs me. Like, your budget is so limited you couldn’t afford to buy another S for that Cider? that would make a better rhyme?

The assertion that there’s only one cider for all attendees is bad enough, but it turns out, there’s never any cider.

The cider is a lie!

(In case you’re wondering, Eaglet & Friends are doing themed costumes this year: Sesame Street characters. Eaglet is Oscar, which is totally on-brand.)

---L.

Subject quote from It’s All About the Pentiums, Weird Al Yankovic.

Comments

[mrissa]

I am really offended at the complete lack of cider.

I am really delighted by the Oscar.

So this has been a roller coaster ride for me.

[larryhammer]

It doesn't help, in my case, that hard cider is my alcohol of choice.

[mme_n_b]

Why would SCS be better than SC?

[larryhammer]

Sorry, I meant another S to make the Cider plural like the Spiders -- so name it Spiders & Ciders.

[mme_n_b]

Oooh. Got it. Must be one of those regional English things - around here cider is always singular unless there's more than one kind (like fish and wine) so it didn't occur to me that it would need an s. You're right, this sounds a lot better.

[larryhammer]

In my dialect, in this context, I understand "cider" to be a single serving of same, and "ciders" that there's multiple. In other contexts, "cider" can indeed be a mass noun, and singular unless there's more than one type.

[mme_n_b]

Ah, English, the language that just keeps on giving.

[conuly]

The assertion that there’s only one cider for all attendees is bad enough, but it turns out, there’s never any cider.

I am torn between two opinions.

1. This is actually awful, how dare they lie about cider.
2. But are there any spiders?

[larryhammer]

Tons of spider decorations. Well, not literally tons, but festooned all over campus.