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Discussion Groups / English Usage / August 2007Let the playtron begin
Grant Barrett indulges some word play on "patron" at his blog this week: playtron n. an observer or visitor at a Renaissance fair or festival who wears a costume suited for the time period. Citations: 1994 Usenet: alt.fairs.renaissance (Sept. 12) "Re: Sterling NY Alumni?": I've been attending the festival since 1988 and during the 1992 and 1993 seasons I was a member of the volunteer group known alternately as the Support Troupe, Playtrons, or POR Folk. 1997 [Bellebet (Tricia, Rosemary Anne Thyme)] Usenet: alt.fairs.renaissance (Oct. 17) "Re: MMario: thanks!": I know quite a few people, including myself who would love to be playtrons and be your "Front Row CHorus." The rennie's are coming, the Rennies are coming! 1998 [AuroraeB (Tracy)] Usenet: alt.fairs.renaissance (Aug. 19) "Re: What do you value?": I love to "people-watch," be they participants or just playtrons and patrons who show up in bizzare attire. 2007 Rona Marech Baltimore Sun (Maryland) (Aug. 27) "Knights and ladies escape to Revel Grove": Such devotion is common among "Rennies" or "playtrons," as the most serious Renaissance-obsessed merrymakers call themselves. Many have attended the festival for decades-sometimes traveling great distances to roam the 25-acre faux-Tudor village of Revel Grove. [end excerpt] People pay to go to costume parties organized to help charitable causes all the time - I'm thinking "playtron" will soon be broadened from its current, more limited sense, to cover all these benefactors. Should auers resist such a broadening? -- Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego On 28 Aug 2007, tinwhistler wrote > People pay to go to costume parties organized to help charitable > causes all the time - I'm thinking "playtron" will soon be > broadened from its current, more limited sense, to cover all > these benefactors. Possibly. > Should auers resist such a broadening? Would there be any point in even trying?  SignatureCheers, Harvey I, for one welcome, our new becostumed masters. > Grant Barrett indulges some word play on "patron" at his blog this > week: [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > People pay to go to costume parties organized to help charitable > causes all the time They do? I don't know any. I wonder how many auers do so. - I'm thinking "playtron" will soon be broadened > from its current, more limited sense, to cover all these benefactors. > Should auers resist such a broadening? SignatureLaura (emulate St. George for email) [snip] > They do? I don't know any. I wonder how many auers do so. [snip] The society pages of our local newspaper (the Union-Tribune) have pictures of costumed benefactors from time to time -- I don't keep track, but I'd say "numerous occasions annually." -- Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego >[snip] > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >pictures of costumed benefactors from time to time -- I don't keep >track, but I'd say "numerous occasions annually." Well, anyway, numerous occasions for the type of people who get their pictuers in the society pages. Signature************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * >> [snip] >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Well, anyway, numerous occasions for the type of people who get > their pictuers in the society pages. Vaguely related: over in West Wales, the local anti-nuclear-etc crowd used to encourage demonstrators to wear fancy dress, which was a clever way to keep the atmosphere positive. And, for some reason, a conspicuous minority like to wear fancy dress at Test matches. SignatureMike. -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > [snip] > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > pictures of costumed benefactors from time to time -- I don't keep > track, but I'd say "numerous occasions annually." Ah. I don't think I normally read anything that has "society" pages. That might explain my ignorance. SignatureLaura (emulate St. George for email) -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com [snip] > Ah. I don't think I normally read anything that has "society" pages. [snip] I glance at the pics -- just for laughs. Easier than a trip to the baboon enclosure at the zoo. -- Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego >> [snip] >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >Ah. I don't think I normally read anything that has "society" pages. >That might explain my ignorance. Heck, even The Times has a society page. It gets harder each day to distinguish it from The Sun. SignatureRobin Herts, England >>> [snip] >>> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >Heck, even The Times has a society page. It gets harder each day to >distinguish it from The Sun. I don't normally stoop to The Times, but aren't the people on the page mainly 'celebrities'? Surely the terms 'celebrity' and 'Society' are mutually exclusive. SignatureMike Page Who has a space after the two dashes in his sig. separator, honest. >>>> [snip] >>>> [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >page mainly 'celebrities'? Surely the terms 'celebrity' and >'Society' are mutually exclusive. I occasionally glance at the 'People' page, and usually don't recognise most of the names. I suppose these people belong to society just as we all do, but I'm not remotely interested in what they're doing or saying. SignatureRobin Herts, England >>>Heck, even The Times has a society page. It gets harder each day to >>>distinguish it from The Sun. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >just as we all do, but I'm not remotely interested in what they're >doing or saying. I find that I see more familiar names and faces in the Obituary pages than I do in the Society page. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL >On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 22:49:15 +0100, Robin Bignall ><docrobin@ntlworld.com> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >I find that I see more familiar names and faces in the Obituary pages >than I do in the Society page. Tony, we need people like you: fingers on the pulse, and feet at the graveside. SignaturePaul (Where's that smiley thing gone?) > Grant Barrett indulges some word play on "patron" at his blog this > week: > > playtron > n. an observer or visitor at a Renaissance fair or festival who wears > a costume suited for the time period. ... > People pay to go to costume parties organized to help charitable > causes all the time - I'm thinking "playtron" will soon be broadened > from its current, more limited sense, to cover all these benefactors. Is it well-enough known outside the Ren Faire community? > Should auers resist such a broadening? Yes, because it's not the same thing. By dressing up, "playtrons" are to some extent participating. People who go to the orchestra's benefit costume ball are not the equivalent; it's more like the people who go to the sing-along /Messiah/. -- Jerry Friedman On Aug 29, 9:51 am, "jerry_fried...@yahoo.com" <jerry_fried...@yahoo.com> wrote: [snip] > > People pay to go to costume parties organized to help charitable > > causes all the time - I'm thinking "playtron" will soon be broadened [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > benefit costume ball are not the equivalent; it's more like the people > who go to the sing-along /Messiah/. [snip] You may be right on the first issue -- "playtron" may not become broadly used as I suggested. On the second, however, I think you are pumping for too fine a distinction -- you compare to sing-along choristers, but these wannabe singers participate to some extent.. -- Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego |
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