Re: CHAT drinking soup: (was: Malat (on behalf of Garrett))

Nik Taylor wrote:
>
> Eric Christopherson wrote:
> > What dialect of English is this? I've never heard of "drink" being
> > used that way outside of this list.
>
> What do you mean?  Do you "drink" medicine?  Would you say that someone
> can "drink" poison, or soup, or cigarettes, or anything other than
> beverages, like water, soda, alcohol, etc.?  I've always heard it used
> in the way I've defined, "substances intended to be taken for sustaining
> life".
>
In my particular dialect (Minnesota, American English), yes, it's
commonly said to drink poison (if it's a liquid) or drink soup (if it's
primarily broth rather than being thick). Soups can also be "eaten",
especially if they are thick soups. Some medicines, if they are liquid,
can be drunk, although I admit that the more common verb for medicines
seems to be "take" whether the medicine is liquid, pill or perhaps
injection. Poisons also will commonly appear with "take". I hadn't heard
of "drink" used in conjunction with cigarettes until this discussion,
but it's an interesting use of the concept.

Laurie
---
Laurie Gerholz
milo@winternet.com
http://www.winternet.com/~milo