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eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

I am appalled that various members here have reluctantly taken issue with the terms "peeled" and (more importantly) "unpeeled".

How odd, how unforgivable, for members of a forum centered on English, to have maliciously dallied about, and failed miserably to really make a good go at cracking this conundrum! Indeed! (snort!)

Now then, who amongst you would reject the clear and irrefutable truth that an "unpeeled" orange would certainly ONLY mean that said orange MUST DOUBTLESSLY STILL HAVE ABOUT IT ITS RIND??

It has not yet been peeled. It is unpeeled. Anyone, then? Razz

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

My vote is to start with the verb...to peel, which is to remove the skin. Therefore, a peeled banana has the skin removed. Since you can't really unpeel (undo the peeling), and unpeeled banana is one that has not been peeled yet.

If you like to unpeel as a verb, then you would like the other explanation.

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

I agree 100%. I also agree that unpeel can be taken as a verb, though it may be unabridged.

A peeled orange and an unpeeled orange simply cannot be allowed to denote the same thing. A peeled orange must ALWAYS mean that it has had its skin removed. Who in their right mind would ever say that a peeled orange means an orange that STILL HAD ITS SKIN ABOUT IT?

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

This thread should really be about apples. Since come on, would any of you ever eat an orange with the peel still on Question

A peeled apple has to be one that has had the skin removed.
So an unpeeled apple would to be one that hasn't had the skin removed.

If you are going to eat it without removing the peel, it is a good idea to soak it in iodine drops, rather than just washing it in tap water, because 1)the tap water is of dubious quality and 2) it has probably come in contact with rat feces before you bought it, anyone ever been in a market at night?

BTW did you know that in Japan they peel all their fruit, even the grapes!

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

How about with tires and rubber? To peel rubber, at least in the part of Kanada I was peeled away from, means, to gun the engine and leave some rubber on the road for spinning the tires so fast.

I ran the unpeeled as with skin or without skin past two teachers here...one Brit, one American and both take it to mean still having the skin.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

How about comparing it with "undressed"? If I am undressed, it doesn't mean that I'm wearing a pair of jeans and a fetching blouse, does it? If someone is dressed they are with clothes, if my tasty orange is peeled, its kind of the inverse, my orange is with skin. As far as I remember from this funny language, 'un' means the opposite of whatever the word its been plonked in front of, and I think in this case peeled is an adjective, not a verb, as is unpeeled.

Isn't it?

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

If to unpeel is the opposite of to peel, I'll give 100 pesos to the first person that can perfectly unpeel a banana. No glue, no duct tape, and no switchamaroo allowed.

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

I can't see unpeeled as a verb, only as an adjective...but I could see how it could happen. We have conferred here as well and it's obvious to us that unpeeled means my banana still has a skin. What's the big deal then??

I could see if someone took offense to the use of irregardless as it's redundant and wasn't even a word until recently. I hate it...the word is regardless and if irregardless has the same meaning then there's just no point.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

to pare

Now there is a nice verb that would clear up the issue. I imagine, but maybe I'm just making this up, that peel was originally just a noun. Because in English we like to make new words by changing it's part of speech. To pare was the verb for removing the peel rather than to peel. But now we only ever if rarely hear pare as an adjective as in paring knife. If I use a paring knife to remove the skin of the apples I give my daughters, then I should say I'm paring them, rather than peeling them. I should ask them, "Honey, do you want your apple pared not not pared?" Razz

And they would say, "No quero pear, yo quero APPLE!" Laughing

How many pears could a pair of paring knives pare if a paring knife would pare pears?

cangringo · Joined: 18 Jan 2007 Posts: 327 Location: Vancouver, Canada

since we're on the subject, sort of...this doesn't have to do with fruit but I think it's relevant. What about the term "near miss"...wouldn't this imply a hit. If you nearly miss something you must have hit it unless you are differentiating between a far miss and a near miss...??

Also which is correct, "I couldn't care less" or "I could care less"...

And is it better to be a dumbass or a smartass??

If you say I want a peeled apple, this woud indicate an adjective no? Which leads to the question of how did the peel come off, making peel a verb as in to peel but I can see how that would get confused and translated into to unpeel making unpeel now the verb possibly stemming from the verb to undress. In this case both would indicate taking off the peel in which case take off is actually the verb so now it becomes a phrasal verb. You can take off your clothes and you can take off the peel? Just a thought...Although in the case of undressing, you can dress but you can also re-dress.

I was looking for unpeel in google and it seems that it's not really a word, however unpeeled is but then I also came across dethaw...which definitely isn't a word but I have heard it used and it's in dictionary.com as melting or thawing. To thaw would be the desired outcome so what is to dethaw, to freeze again?? People seem to just make up words and because of the internet and other mediums these words get propogated until they become an actual English word, hence irregardless finally making it into the dictionary.

Peel and pare are both verbs and they have similar meanings but not exactly the same. Pare is to remove the outer coating of while peel is to remove the skin...but there is no unpare.

MamaOaxaca · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 201 Location: Mixteca, Oaxaca

M@tt · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 473 Location: here and there

I hereby banish the following words and phrases to eternal linguistic hellfire/hadesfire:

unpeel
irregardless
i could care less
nother (sweet Zeus! http://www.mdrc.org/publications/434/overview.html )
ATM machine, HIV virus, PIN number
should of / could of / would of
hate on / love on / good on you
to dialogue
not unlike

eclectic · Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1122

Lord have mercy! Will I ever be allowed to post another New Topic?

Everyone has done a remarkable job at gutting this conundrum, and I do thank all y'all! (yeah, add THAT to the Hadesfire List).

What could be more flummoxing than phrases like "let alone...", for example "She didn't even CALL me, let alone remember my birthday"--does this even MEAN anything? Is one point subordinate to the other? "Let alone"????