We all know it's a magazine or a "mag". We know what "clips" are. When it comes down to slang usage, "clip" is interchangeable with magazine even though it is not technically correct. Just like when someone says bullets, we know he means cartridges or rounds.
If you try to argue with this statement, you are a pedantic prat and it makes you sound like the annoying kid in class who sits up in the front row who starts out every sentence with the phrase, "Well actually".
This reminds me of when my lady friend, "She ... Who Must Be Obeyed" (SWMBO) first started attending local USPSA matches with me.
One of the senior members (he was 70 years old) always wore one of the old-fashioned Marine Fatigue Caps (flat top, billed) and we called him "The General" because he seemed so .. military.
One day, The General heard SWMBO referring to ammunition as "Bullets", and he could not resist the temptation to correct her speech.
He began his correction with "Young Lady...." (she was over 50 years old at the time) and ended with "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Yes, she know the difference between "Round" and "Bullet", and she deliberately used the term "BULLET" incorrectly ... it was something of a running gag between us, but our (new to her) mutual friend was determined to make her understand that incorrect usage was ... incorrect.
She was very patient and kind during the dialogue, and even though she eventually became a competitor she continued to use the "wrong term" for a 'round of ammunition'.
As in: "Honey, I'm running low on .38 super bullets; do you have enough bullets for both of us to finish the match?"
And I would invariably respond something to the effect of: "Oh, sure I have lots of bullets left!"
Our friend would gnash his teeth and hold his tongue; he would not correct ME (I had already been competing for decades, and I was 'a guy'.). We never resorted to this dialogue if he was not present in our squad, because what's the fun in that?)
Five years later, we attended his funeral and mourned him. We shared this story with his widow, and she enjoyed it: "Yes, he did tend to be a bit of a stickler; but I loved him."
We did, too.
Sadly, SWMBO is gone now, as is Our Friend. And I never refer to ammunition as "Bullets" because ... oh, no good reason at all!
Now that I'm reminded, I believe I'll revert to using the therm "Bullets" inappropriately again, just because it's so fun to bait people.
And it reminds me of SWMBO and The General.
It's a smaller world without them.
1 comment:
Both of them are missed.
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