Re: CHAT: mammals and mammaries

Andreas Johansson scripsit:

> BTW, I wouldn't normally use the word "breast" when refering to (non-human)
> animals' anatomy, tho' this may be Swedish influence. What does the natives
> say?
Ironically, it is used of the edible chest musculature of birds, though they
are not mammals.  A chicken, for example, contains (considered as a food)
legs, wings, and breast meat.  In 19th-century America, overdone prudishness
substituted "white meat" for "breast" and "dark meat" for "leg" (both of
which words were taboo), and these terms are still in use.  "White meat or
dark?"

The same applies to turkeys, geese, ducks, squab (pigeons), etc. etc.

--
John Cowan           http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
Please leave your values        |       Check your assumptions.  In fact,
   at the front desk.           |          check your assumptions at the door.
     --sign in Paris hotel      |            --Miles Vorkosigan