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Message from discussion Polar bears and Emporer penguins?
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Don Aitken  
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 More options Feb 8 2009, 6:50 pm
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
From: Don Aitken <don-ait...@freeuk.com>
Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:50:12 +0000
Local: Sun, Feb 8 2009 6:50 pm
Subject: Re: Polar bears and Emporer penguins?
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On Sun, 8 Feb 2009 23:26:04 -0000, "Alain Dekker"

<abdek...@NOSPAM.fsmail.net> wrote:
>I'm not sure how to ask this question, but you know how you watch a movie
>about, say, the Ancient Eqyptians and one of the characters is wearing a
>wristwatch. There's a word for that faux pas, which is, I think
>"anachronism".

>My question is, lets say you are watching a movie about polar bears and they
>show you, or talk about, polar bears catching and eating Emporer penguins.

>Now polar bears are strictly North Pole and Emporer penguins are strictly
>South Pole. This cannot happen.

>What is the term, if there is one, for this, please?

There is no generally understood word for this, although several have
been suggested. I quite like "anatopism".

--
Don Aitken
Mail to the From: address is not read.
To email me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com"


 
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