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Old 06-21-2016, 07:35 AM   #1
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What the F?????

I know it by fridge, and we all know it by refrigerator, but there seems to be a bunch of shortened terms for it used here, and I am just curious as to whether the terms are regional, and which areas use what term.

I grew up (well sorta) knowing it as a fridge, simply just dropping the pronunciation of a few of the syllables.

I also have heard of refrigeration referred to as being a reefer, especially for refrigerated transport trucks. But, I have seen this term used for a refrigerator on trailer forums too. This one I got right away. Of course this too has always been a term used for a joint, but that is not what is under discussion here.

New to me when I started perusing these trailer forums is the term frig. I always chuckle when I see it used, as for me in the past, it has been only used as a softer, more socially acceptable form of the F bomb. Could it be that being Canadian and living in igloos has kept me sheltered. Maybe that makes sense, as I have heard a lot of cussing going on when referring to refrigerators used in trailers.

Can you tell I need to get out camping?
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Old 06-21-2016, 07:58 AM   #2
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Individual usage terms makes Search extremely difficult. Along with the refrigerator, we have A/C (air condition), tow (trailer), tug (towing vehicle), TV (television or maybe tow vehicle).


Makes my head swim.
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Old 06-21-2016, 08:00 AM   #3
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Jim,
When I lived in Council Bluffs Iowa, there were still some guys around who worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. Their job had been to shovel rough chunks of ice which had been harvested in the winter, into the sides of boxcars used to haul meat or other perishables west across a hot, Nebraska, Wyoming and beyond. This job was tough and was known as "icing the reefers." When it got real hot, the railroad would put out a call for extra help, and conversely in the winter after a big snow there'd be looking for guys to shovel out and sweep snow out of the switches in the rip track yard. The United States doesn't have near the rail system they used to now which has caused the demise of thousands of small towns and raised the cost of transport of many goods on a per ton mile basis. Gotta get back out myself.
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Old 06-21-2016, 08:39 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
I grew up (well sorta) knowing it as a fridge, simply just dropping the pronunciation of a few of the syllables.
This may also have come about as a shortening of the brand name Frigidaire (frigid + air) which with time has taken on its own meaning.
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Old 06-21-2016, 08:56 AM   #5
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Can't be regional, we call it a fridge in my neck of the woods too.

One of the things I remember about being in the service was how everyone called things different names. And that' not even bringing accents into play.
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Old 06-21-2016, 09:04 AM   #6
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Another great Hoagy Carmichael song,
Two sleepy people who were
Picking on a wishbone, from the Frigidaire.
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Old 06-21-2016, 09:15 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
Individual usage terms makes Search extremely difficult. Along with the refrigerator, we have A/C (air condition), tow (trailer), tug (towing vehicle), TV (television or maybe tow vehicle).


Makes my head swim.
Even though I am guilty of at times using some of that vernacular, I also agree it can be confusing. In many cases it is just people liking to use 'cute' terms. Stinger comes to mind. I actually tried searching using that term, and never came up with it referring to a ball mount.

I think I confuse easier as I age though.
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Originally Posted by Iowa Dave View Post
Jim,
When I lived in Council Bluffs Iowa, there were still some guys around who worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. Their job had been to shovel rough chunks of ice which had been harvested in the winter, into the sides of boxcars used to haul meat or other perishables west across a hot, Nebraska, Wyoming and beyond. This job was tough and was known as "icing the reefers." When it got real hot, the railroad would put out a call for extra help, and conversely in the winter after a big snow there'd be looking for guys to shovel out and sweep snow out of the switches in the rip track yard. The United States doesn't have near the rail system they used to now which has caused the demise of thousands of small towns and raised the cost of transport of many goods on a per ton mile basis. Gotta get back out myself.
Dave
Cool story, Dave.
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Originally Posted by KarenH View Post
This may also have come about as a shortening of the brand name Frigidaire (frigid + air) which with time has taken on its own meaning.
This could likely be, I had not thought about it but Frigidaire was one of the first brands.
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Originally Posted by padlin View Post
Can't be regional, we call it a fridge in my neck of the woods too.

One of the things I remember about being in the service was how everyone called things different names. And that' not even bringing accents into play.
I think you may be right, Bob. I have yet to notice a Canadian ever using refer, though don't pay good attention, but there are some west side Americans who use that term, but it seems mostly for the eastern side where it seems more prevalent.

Seeing refer in writing puts it into context right away, so there is little confusion, but if someone was to use that term with me in conversation my first thought would definitely be thinking of a joint (marijuana cigarette for clarification )
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Old 06-21-2016, 09:21 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa Dave View Post
Another great Hoagy Carmichael song,
Two sleepy people who were
Picking on a wishbone, from the Frigidaire.
Dave
Now your are testing my Google skills, Dave. Definitely not up on my music from 1938.

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Old 06-21-2016, 10:05 AM   #9
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Jim:
I plead guilty to carelessly using "frig" instead of "fridge". Sorry for the confusion--although my misuse seams to have provided some entertainment.
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Old 06-21-2016, 10:08 AM   #10
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Jim:
I plead guilty to carelessly using "frig" instead of "fridge". Sorry for the confusion--although my misuse seams to have provided some entertainment.
Dave
And I thank you for amusing me wee brain.
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Old 06-21-2016, 10:28 AM   #11
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It's certainly not regional Jim. It's a "fridge" here too. Type "frig" on any keyboard and it will redline it as an error.


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Old 06-21-2016, 10:36 AM   #12
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from: Fridge-Googling: Origin of the word "fridge"

Quote:
- the word refrigerator is formed from the Latin roots re- and frigus, and would mean 'to cool again'.
- it is not clear who first used the term to refrigerate but the idea of removing heat from an area to keep things cool is hardly new, and was done by prehistoric peoples using ice.
- the modern technique of refrigeration, i.e. circulating some kind of liquid around which removes heat energy from the space desired, e.g. the inside of your fridge is based on experiments done as early as 1748 by William Cullen. But they couldn't think of anything to use it for at the time!
- others to work on refrigeration included celebrated scientist Michael Faraday, but the first to patent an actual device was one Jacob Perkins in 1834, although it apparently flopped commercially! Well, why would you want to cool things down, for goodness' sakes!?

And what is the origin of the word fridge..? Erm, I would have thought it was blindingly obvious but since you ask, the word fridge is a product of normal linguistic processes whereby a word that we use every single day multiple times gets contracted down and because we can't be bothered to say refrigerator every time, we say fridge. And there you have it, the origins of the word fridge! (just don't quote this in any scientific journals!)
And there you have it!
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Old 06-21-2016, 10:51 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by ice-breaker View Post
And there you have it!
Other than better explaining it, that is pretty much what I thought.

Still, where did the term 'frig' come from?

Maybe...
Why the frig is my fridge not cooling properly?
Maybe Dave has an amusing story on this?

Okay, I really have to focus on doing up this customer budget I am working on. Can you tell it is the boring part of my job?
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Old 06-21-2016, 11:32 AM   #14
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"frig1
friɡ/
vulgar slang
verb
verb: frig; 3rd person present: frigs; past tense: frigged; past participle: frigged; gerund or present participle: frigging
expressing extreme anger, annoyance, or contempt.
Origin
late Middle English: of unknown origin. The original sense was ‘move restlessly, wriggle,’ later ‘rub, chafe,’ hence (late 17th century)."

I've omitted the more vulgar references, but it's a real word and won't error if you type it.
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Old 06-21-2016, 11:39 AM   #15
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Hi: Jim Bennett... No one's using the term Ice Box. We have one that states on the label "Cold dry air refrigerator". My mother asked why I bought it? She said they chopped theirs up when the electric ones came along. I told her that's why I bought it!!! Alf
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Old 06-21-2016, 12:01 PM   #16
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Got the same / same purpose.
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Old 06-21-2016, 12:27 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg A View Post
"frig1
friɡ/
vulgar slang
verb
verb: frig; 3rd person present: frigs; past tense: frigged; past participle: frigged; gerund or present participle: frigging
expressing extreme anger, annoyance, or contempt.
Origin
late Middle English: of unknown origin. The original sense was ‘move restlessly, wriggle,’ later ‘rub, chafe,’ hence (late 17th century)."

I've omitted the more vulgar references, but it's a real word and won't error if you type it.
I pretty much got the same thing, labelling it as vulgar slang. This is why I was so surprised at its usage. Though, on dictionary.com I did find it as in informal noun short for refridgerator, which comes up when you do a search fro 'frig'.
Quote:
Originally Posted by escape artist View Post
Hi: Jim Bennett... No one's using the term Ice Box. We have one that states on the label "Cold dry air refrigerator". My mother asked why I bought it? She said they chopped theirs up when the electric ones came along. I told her that's why I bought it!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Got the same / same purpose.
Man, you two are dating yourselves.

Wait, I use an ice box to keep my beer cold in.
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Old 06-21-2016, 12:49 PM   #18
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I think these short acronyms are a result of smart phones and text messages where full sentences have been reduced to "ROFLMAO"
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Old 06-21-2016, 01:02 PM   #19
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"ROFLMAO"
Oo oo oo... I know that one.

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Old 06-21-2016, 01:10 PM   #20
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Got the same / same purpose.
Hi: gbaglo... Great minds drink alike!!! Alf
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