Quit forcing this word down my throat

Mannix

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forward to 2:06


Not sure why "sneakers" is suddenly being forced on us by everyone in the electronic media...no matter their locale. I don't like it...mainly, because I'm not a fan of hardly anything that originates out of the NE. There, I said it.
 

MWH1967

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Lol, I go through this all the time. I don't let it bother me. We had another thread about similar some time back. Just let it go.:):D
 

Xelda

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forward to 2:06


Not sure why "sneakers" is suddenly being forced on us by everyone in the electronic media...no matter their locale. I don't like it...mainly, because I'm not a fan of hardly anything that originates out of the NE. There, I said it.

I've been noticing the influx of the "sneaker" word. It seems to be rooted in something outside of my daily experiences and I can only guess as to it's origins. I suspect designer influences.

As for using the word Coke, where I'm from (Looziana) they ask what you want to drink and when we say Coke, we mean a Coke. Once someone brought me a Sprite and I can only imagine the look on my face haunting them in their latter years.
 

DallasEast

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I've been noticing the influx of the "sneaker" word. It seems to be rooted in something outside of my daily experiences and I can only guess as to it's origins. I suspect designer influences.

As for using the word Coke, where I'm from (Looziana) they ask what you want to drink and when we say Coke, we mean a Coke. Once someone brought me a Sprite and I can only imagine the look on my face haunting them in their latter years.
I am from Louisiana also. Bold> That has never happened to me but I think I can imagine having the same face if-and-when it did happen to me too. :laugh:
 

Runwildboys

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I've been noticing the influx of the "sneaker" word. It seems to be rooted in something outside of my daily experiences and I can only guess as to it's origins. I suspect designer influences.

As for using the word Coke, where I'm from (Looziana) they ask what you want to drink and when we say Coke, we mean a Coke. Once someone brought me a Sprite and I can only imagine the look on my face haunting them in their latter years.
I've been calling them sneakers my whole life. Why call them "tennis shoes" when they're not made for tennis?
 

Runwildboys

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forward to 2:06


Not sure why "sneakers" is suddenly being forced on us by everyone in the electronic media...no matter their locale. I don't like it...mainly, because I'm not a fan of hardly anything that originates out of the NE. There, I said it.

You feel like the word "sneakers" is being somehow forced on you? What do you call them?
 

DallasEast

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I've been calling them sneakers my whole life. Why call them "tennis shoes" when they're not made for tennis?
Tracking down the etymology of these nicknames was harder than I expected but I think AZCentral.com summarizes it the best:


https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/soccer-cleats-4560.html

The Difference Between Tennis Shoes & Sneakers
by Aline Lindemann

Sneaker, tennis shoe, athletic shoe, trainer ... these are all common names for a similar item -- a rubber-soled shoe that is worn for exercise and athletic activity. This kind of shoe is typically made of a combination of canvas, nylon and leather and has laces on the top of the foot. Although the various forms of athletic shoe or sneaker have the same origin, their purposes and specifications have evolved into a vast and diverse industry.

Lingo History
School boys of the late 1800s coined the term "sneakers" to refer to the soft-soled tennis shoes they wore that enabled them to sneak around. The "Boston Journal of Education" spread the word, and two years later, "The Boston Globe" began advertising tennis shoes -- flexible, non-marking shoes meant for playing tennis -- as sneakers. By 1895, the term "sneaker" began appearing in dictionaries.

Tennis Shoe Origin
Tennis shoes have been around since they were called Plimsolls in the mid- to late 1800s. These canvas and rubber shoes were worn while bicycling, playing croquet, walking and playing tennis. They were lightweight and flexible, and they were considered a luxury because games and athletics were pastimes for those who had time to play rather than work. As athletics have evolved, so have the variations of the tennis shoe, and although many shoes are marketed specifically to tennis players, this is still a common name for many athletic shoes, even those that never see a tennis court.

____________________

I have used both nicknames, and have even used sneakers to describe the Converse brand back in the day, but I typically call them tennis shoes.
 

Roadtrip635

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I've been calling them sneakers my whole life. Why call them "tennis shoes" when they're not made for tennis?
Some are made for tennis though. Why call them sneakers if they're not made for sneaking? I grew up calling them tennies, short for tennis shoes, but go back and forth between sneakers and tennies now.
 

Mannix

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You feel like the word "sneakers" is being somehow forced on you? What do you call them?
Tennis shoes....up until about 5 years ago, I only heard them called sneakers by those in the the NE. I guess the "Sneakahs" pronunciation straight out of Brooklyn has just always made my skin crawl.
 

Runwildboys

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Tracking down the etymology of these nicknames was harder than I expected but I think AZCentral.com summarizes it the best:


https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/soccer-cleats-4560.html

The Difference Between Tennis Shoes & Sneakers
by Aline Lindemann

Sneaker, tennis shoe, athletic shoe, trainer ... these are all common names for a similar item -- a rubber-soled shoe that is worn for exercise and athletic activity. This kind of shoe is typically made of a combination of canvas, nylon and leather and has laces on the top of the foot. Although the various forms of athletic shoe or sneaker have the same origin, their purposes and specifications have evolved into a vast and diverse industry.

Lingo History
School boys of the late 1800s coined the term "sneakers" to refer to the soft-soled tennis shoes they wore that enabled them to sneak around. The "Boston Journal of Education" spread the word, and two years later, "The Boston Globe" began advertising tennis shoes -- flexible, non-marking shoes meant for playing tennis -- as sneakers. By 1895, the term "sneaker" began appearing in dictionaries.

Tennis Shoe Origin
Tennis shoes have been around since they were called Plimsolls in the mid- to late 1800s. These canvas and rubber shoes were worn while bicycling, playing croquet, walking and playing tennis. They were lightweight and flexible, and they were considered a luxury because games and athletics were pastimes for those who had time to play rather than work. As athletics have evolved, so have the variations of the tennis shoe, and although many shoes are marketed specifically to tennis players, this is still a common name for many athletic shoes, even those that never see a tennis court.

____________________

I have used both nicknames, and have even used sneakers to describe the Converse brand back in the day, but I typically call them tennis shoes.
The "sneakers" nickname is pretty obvious, but doesn't really bring sneaking around to mind when you hear it. When I hear "tennis shoes", I automatically think of the white "sneakers" people wear while playing tennis. "Athletic shoes" isn't bad, but it's a bit of a clumsy moniker to say, as opposed to the other two.

I'll stick with "sneakers".
 

Mannix

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I think the timing of hearing Tracy Morgan's accent on the Rocket Mortgage commercial 1000x daily has added to my disdain for this word.....and general hatred for anyone in the cities of Philadelphia, NY, or Boston. Oh.....did that sneak out of my thought bubble again.
 

nobody

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The "sneakers" nickname is pretty obvious, but doesn't really bring sneaking around to mind when you hear it. When I hear "tennis shoes", I automatically think of the white "sneakers" people wear while playing tennis. "Athletic shoes" isn't bad, but it's a bit of a clumsy moniker to say, as opposed to the other two.

I'll stick with "sneakers".

I'll stick with "shoes" :D
 

Cowpolk

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The "sneakers" nickname is pretty obvious, but doesn't really bring sneaking around to mind when you hear it. When I hear "tennis shoes", I automatically think of the white "sneakers" people wear while playing tennis. "Athletic shoes" isn't bad, but it's a bit of a clumsy moniker to say, as opposed to the other two.

I'll stick with "sneakers".
Man I loved the Stan Smith tennis shoes. I wore them when playing basketball When you went to stop you had to be used to them cause you were gonna stop fast no sliding involved. They sucked on wet spots though
 

Bigdog

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I've been calling them sneakers my whole life. Why call them "tennis shoes" when they're not made for tennis?
So have I. Never even heard the word tennis shoes or tennies until move out to Northern CA. In fact when they say down south here they mean Southern CA, not the southern part of the US. I once got into trouble doing a presentation at work because I said you guys a couple of times and a woman questioned why I wasn't including women. I guess she never heard you guys means everyone, lol.
 

Doomsday

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I've been calling them sneakers my whole life. Why call them "tennis shoes" when they're not made for tennis?

I am from Connecticut, when we moved to CO when I was a kid people gave me a hard time because I called them sneakers.

I always thought the same thing about "tennis shoes", doesn't make any sense to me either.
 

Runwildboys

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I am from Connecticut, when we moved to CO when I was a kid people gave me a hard time because I called them sneakers.

I always thought the same thing about "tennis shoes", doesn't make any sense to me either.
No kidding, I'm in Andover, CT. I moved to CT when I was 17 and it confused me when people would say things like, "so ain't I" or, "so don't I".
 
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