Roy Cropper on Corrie last night.

[Joe_the_Lion]

Whilst talking about recycling he called himself a big recycler then questioned whether ir should be recyclist.

Recyclist would be the obvious, if following the rule of, lets say, (bi)cycling, you are a cyclist.

However, recycler sounds better.

What is the definitive answer?

Many thanks.

[sophie_1003]

according to microsoft word recyclist isn't a word whereas recycler is, although I did laugh when Roy said that, it does sound cool!

[Quizmonster]

Both are perfectly acceptable, though The Oxford English Dictionary (TOED) does suggest that 'recyclist' is (quote) 'rare'. Both first appeared in the early 1970s.
Sorry, Sophie, but I'm afraid that Microsoft Word is far from being the authority on English words that TOED is!

[shaneystar2]

It is a word ..a noun to describe some one who recycles ..a recyclist Just as someone who cycles is a cyclist (noun).
Mind you it is a bit of silly word and recycler sounds better.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recycli st%20

It's also in the cruciverbalists bible Chambers .However it is not in the OED (I can't find it anyway )and no doubt QM will be along to tell us why !

[sophie_1003]

yeah I know that microsoft isn't the best but as I was sat at the PC and had word up thought I might give it a try!

[shaneystar2]

Talk of the devil etc !
Why is it not not in my shorter OED QM ?

[Quizmonster]

Hi, Shaney. The Oxford dictionary I always refer to is THE Oxford dictionary, ma'am...the multi-volume one we see Vickie Coren standing behind during the introduction to Balderdash & Piffle on TV.
As I said earlier, it suggests the 'ist' version of the word is rare and hence, I daresay, its omission from the Shorter. Cheers

[Joe_the_Lion]

Quizzy, the question is, is what would word YOU use?

[Quizmonster]

I'd go for 'er', Joe...'recyclist' has too much of a flavour of 'trick-cyclist' for my liking!

[theprof]

In support of Quizmonster, here's the two definitions quoted verbatim from the OED.

RECYCLER

One who or that which recycles (waste products, etc.).

Etymology: 1973 Nature 13 Apr. 483/3 Exhaust gas recyclers which cause an increase in the fuel consumption. 1974 Ibid. 19 Apr. 641/3 Developing..new manufacturing designs congenial to recyclers. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 13 Mar. 8/2 With the emergence of the week-end home mechanic, the industry has tried to change its image from that of �junk-yards keepers� to �recyclers�.

RECYCLIST

(rare)

An advocate of the recycling of waste products; a recycler.

Etymology: 1973 Times 1 Aug. 12/1 "Perhaps pop artists were the first Recyclists".


Before you ask, no I don't have the OED at home. I've just accessed the online version via the library servers at my university - yes, it's been a dull day today!

Incidentally Quizmonster, the word "The" is not present in the official abbreviation of the dictionary. It's known as the OED not TOED. I've never before seen it referred to as TOED despite having used it many years.

[Quizmonster]

Theprof, I am perfectly well aware that the usual abbreviation is "the OED". However, I started using my version here on AnswerBank - and will continue to do so - when it became plain to me that people here were speaking of The Oxford English Dictionary when they actually meant An Oxford English Dictionary.
I never just write TOED initially, but invariably The Oxford English Dictionary followed by my abbreviation (TOED) in brackets. Thus, I can use the shorter version later in my response.
In support of that, the word 'the' is part of the publication's title and TOED is much more of an abbreviation than 'the OED'. Four key-strokes instead of seven, after all!

[theprof]

I am pleased that you are aware of the correct acronym for the publication Quizmonster.

Your method of explaining your self devised acronym to readers is useful and necessary bearing in mind that TOED cannot be be found in online acronym dictionaries both online and elsewhere. Nevertheless, the method you use of explaining the acronym initially is unremarkable insofar that it is a standard technique used in all publications.

TOED pulls up over three million links when typed into Google, yet not a single one of them refers to the OED. Removing the "T" brings up over five million links and the vast majority of the first page on Google brings up links to the work in question.

I'd ask you to note that the website address of the OED is www.oed.com NOT www.toed.com. Furthermore, the online version does not contain the word "The" on the title page. Don't you find these two facts curious? Go on, try accessing the website yourself even if you do not possess a username and password to proceed further. Can you see the word "The" on the homepage? Furthermore, I've just checked the OED at my university library and the title is NOT "The Oxford English Dictionary". A quick poll of the fourteen reference librarians on duty revealed that not a single one of them had seen or heard of the work being referred to as TOED.

(continued)

[theprof]

I fail to understand the relevance of your phrase "TOED is much more of an abbreviation than 'the OED'." What has the length of the acronym got to do with it? Acronyms are usually carefully devised in order to avoid confusion, especially with similar acronyms that have been devised previously. You seem to imply that the main consideration in devising an acronym is to reduce the number of keystrokes necessary on a keyboard to a level that makes the acronym incompehensible to everyone apart from the originator. This is truly astonishing logic that is incorrect and displays a degree of laziness on the part of the person who devised the acronym.

In essence, the purpose is not to abbreviate in a manner more appropriate amongst children when playing secret codes: the purpose is to confirm to an acronym known thus the world over. That's OED not TOED. Doing otherwise only serves to confuse the reader.

[stewey]

Actually, 'OED' is not an acronym: they are merely the initial letters of the book title.

[Quizmonster]

Theprof, You appear to miss the point - lengthily! - again. Were I writing a paper for the academic Fellows at my ancient college, I would, of course, refer to "the OED" with regard to the dictionary. However, here on AnswerBank, not everyone has an academic background or any familiarity with that publication. Accordingly, it seemed to me appropriate here to use the TOED abbreviation - not acronym, as Stewey points out - for two reasons...
a. It makes it abundantly clear that I am referring not just to any Oxford publication but to the grand-daddy of them all
b. it makes more sense - here - to abbreviate The Oxford English Dictionary as TOED, given that I have invariably just written these four words. (Whether the word 'the' is part of the title or not is an irrelevance, given that it is always included in the name.)

I am not in the least surprised that no librarian has heard of TOED. As already pointed out to you, it is my version and used only here! Why would they have heard of it?

I do have access to the online dictionary.

I said TOED was "more of an abbreviation", not "less of an acronym".

And there I for one shall leave the matter. Life really is too short.

[Quizmonster]

Oh! Just as a swift afterthought, you might care to click here and look at the set of four words immediately above and below where it reads, "20 volume set second edition".

[theprof]

Stewey, let's use the OED itself to obtain an authoritative definition of acronym:

Acronym

A word formed from the initial letters of other words. Hence as v. trans., to convert into an acronym (chiefly pass. and as pa. pple.). Also acro{sm}nymic a.; acro{sm}nymically adv.; {sm}acronyming vbl. n.; {sm}acronymize v. trans.

Please explain further why OED is not an acronym.

[theprof]

No point was missed Quizmonster. You have chosen to devise an unnecessary, unofficial and potentially confusing acronym where the careful use of words would have made the change unnecessary. As a graduate, you should be eminently placed to realise the importance of adhering to conformity when referring to such an august work as the OED. Have you thought of the consequences if an AB reader thought that the acronym was an officially recognised one and it became endemic?

I�d venture a guess Quizmonster that you departed your ancient college a considerable number of years ago as you appear to be totally unfamiliar with ease of access to the OED nowadays. Let me enlighten you. The work is available online in all public libraries and educational institutions in the UK free of charge. Everyone from a primary school child to a grandparent has heard of the OED and can nowadays readily access the work with little difficulty. Furthermore, trial versions are available online and for the adventurous, there are a considerable number of purloined usernames and passwords freely floating around in cyberspace. The OED is now readily available to all sections of society.

(continued)

[theprof]

I think you do the readers of AB an injustice. They are not so academically challenged that they require matters spelt out to them in the manner you display. They are more familiar with the OED than you give them credit and those that are not, realise that the work is the ultimate English dictionary. If you consider that your reader fails to appreciate that you are discussing the ultimate dictionary, a short preface should enable you to explain its inclusion and position of excellence over and above other dictionaries without you having to resort to self-devised acronyms. Tedious to you this may be, but as a graduate, the importance of clarity and convention should be at the forefront of your mind.

Your determination to confuse readers with TOED when modifications to your answers would be more fitting is truly striking.

Thanks for the link. I would suggest that you examine the page more closely. Can you see a number of references to �The OED� and �The Oxford English Dictionary�. Have you noticed that �The� is in normal case and �OED� and �Oxford English Dictionary� are in italics? Now Quizmonster, could you hazard a guess as to why the change of case? Could this have anything to do with it being called OED and not TOED?

[sophie_1003]

why are you arguing about a seemingly irrelevant thing? who cares whether the offeicial version is OED or if QM is using T at the start to reinforce that he is referring to the big dictionary? We have found out that both er and ist are correct suffixes for recycle, nothing else matters now!

[Quizmonster]

For crying out loud! You categorically stated above (quote)..."the title is NOT 'The Oxford English Dictionary'" (your capitals). Unless I am very much mistaken, the site I provided a link to shows a picture of the actual cover of Volume 1 of the dictionary. There, large as life, is the title "THE Oxford English Dictionary" (my capitals) with the word 'the' printed in exactly the same font as the rest of it. Goodness knows what version of the publication your university stocks if the word 'the' is absent from the covers!
And how can I possibly be 'determined to confuse ' AnswerBankers by using TOED when I have invariably offered the title in full directly before I first use the abbreviation? And you question my logic?

Finally, I am not even remotely interested in what you think my attitudes and approaches should be here. If you stick around, I personally guarantee you will continue to see TOED in many of my posts. You'd better just bypass my responses if they offend you.

And there, I definitely will leave it.