Talk:Vermin
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[edit] Varmint - Is this really American colloquial?
The word Varmint or Warmint is used in Dicken's novel Great Expectations. Although the term may be American and back-propagated to Great Britain, this may also be a clue that the term may not have been a specifically American colloquialism.
Greg 02:19, 26 June 2006 (UTC)
I haven't done the research myself, but I think that the colloquial "varmint" should be referenced in so as its particular region of use. In the Southeastern U.S., for instance, the pronunciation "varmit" plays to that.
- It's more than a colloquial pronunciation, and needs its own page, to my mind. The word "varmint" refers almost exclusively to larger undesirable mammals, such as gophers, coyotes, prarie dogs and the like, and is used in state-level hunting legislation in most states (not just the southeast) for this purpose. Typically, a hunter would obtain a "predator/varmint hunting license" and thus be allowed to shoot most anything small and fuzzy once varmint season opens.
- Unfortunately, this is the full extent of my knowledge--any NRA members want to step up to the plate? --Darksasami 06:16, 1 May 2005 (UTC)
Kinda/sorta. The word "varmint" certainly came from Redneck American English (not a technial term :p), but it's become sufficiently ingrained that for this usage, it's pretty much standard. Many companies specifically prefix "varmint" to the names of their product lines (guns and ammunition alike), in favor of vermin. As for merging this topic with "vermin", I dunno; I set up a redirect for "Vermin Guns" to here, because it seemed more appropriate. I guess the distinction between vermin (rats and such) and varmint (coyotes, etc.) makes sense, but seems like an unnecessary level of precision for this article's purposes. Stiletto Null
I think the varmint page should remain separate from vermin; not all vermin are varmints, nor are all varmints vermin, and there is a definate distinction in the hunting and shooting community. Varmint shooting, especially smaller varmints like prarie dogs, is a very challenging task, requiring specialized equipment (small caliber, high velocity, very accurate rifles, and high power telescopic sights) and can pay well too, as farmers and ranchers will offer bounties for varmints. scot 02:36, 1 September 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Cultural References
It seems pretty ridiculous to include a section on references to vermin. It's just a word and has been used in countless works. Unless you plan on listing each one (and what educational purpose would that serve) It seems reasonable to eliminate the entire section.
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- I agree 100%
[edit] vermin is an insult
why did no-one mention that vermin was an insult?
