Biscuit

[Stu]

Hi

If I say the word "biscuit", what exactly comes to mind? What do you think of exactly?

(I will make a note of your responses. This is for a book I am currently writing about language and cognition. Thanks!)

Stu

[Kirbstone]

Over here in Ireland, biscuits are mostly produced by large UK-based firms and are sold exactly as they are in Brexitshire, but I have read that due to all sorts of recent dietary guidelines yer-average wholemeal or marietta or whatever is very different in content from the same produced say ten years ago.

Healthier, presumably. I have noticed that most are crumblier than of yore and the lovely flat iced ones included in a box/tin of Jacobs 'Afternoon tea' biscuits have disappeared, more the pity.

Tom

[Coder]

USA native.

I've been doing some woodworking lately, so my first thought went to:

https://www.woodworkingtrade.com/biscui ... odworking/

However, normally I'd think of a pillowy bread:

https://joyofbaking.com/images/biscuits.jpg

If I was talking (in person) with a European I'd assume it was a crispy buttery cookie.

[crfriend]

The problem here is that there is no context to work with. "Biscuit" in different circumstances can mean several different things as has already been shown.

For humour (or terror, depending on your viewpoint), a "biscuit" also refers to the physical token that the President of the United States inserts into what's colloquially known as "the football" which contains the reader that decodes the secret codes on the "biscuit" to authorise a nuclear attack. Just sayin'.

Strange world, eh?

[Jim]

Hi

If I say the word "biscuit", what exactly comes to mind? What do you think of exactly?

British or American speaker? Cookie or quickbread with shortening.

[Stu]

Aha, thanks.

Of course, it's down to variety of English (British English or American English) - and it's also down to context. I just wanted initial reactions to the word; what first pops into your head as a prototypical meaning.

I am aware that the word has a different meaning to American speakers. Of course, even British speakers are familiar with "biscuit" not just as sweet cookies, but including savoury items like cheese crackers. And of course there are dog biscuits. The word "biscuit" is also used sometimes to refer to breakfast cereal items that come in bars or blocks like Weetabix.

In terms of context, I recall as a teenager I used to ride horses at a local rising stable. I turned up one day and, as I arrived, I saw a girl I knew of about 14 wearing riding gear but sitting on a chair being treated for some cuts and bruises. She was also quite dirty.

I said to her: "Biscuit?"

She replied: "Biscuit!"

Of course, we weren't referring to the edible kind of biscuit, but to a horse they kept at the stable who was known for being extremely temperamental and inclined to throw, kick and trample on riders. The horse's name was Biscuit.

[moonshadow]

Hardee's

[Elisabetta]

Hardee's but it also reminds me of cookies and such.I know in different countries biscuits is a number of pastries and such from what I have been told by many of my overseas friends.

[Uncle Al]

Biscuit

Make it plural = Biscuits, then I think of adding sausage gravy
Yummy

Uncle Al

[geron]

Biscuit can also be a colour --: such as the light brown of a Small Rich Tea biscuit.

[Myopic Bookworm]

A small, flat, light brown, sweet thing, either round or rectangular. The one that came instantly to mind (for some reason) was a rectangular shortbread biscuit.

[ScotL]

Southern. Needs sausage gravy

[SkirtsDad]

First thought was "taking the biscuit". If you had written "a biscuit" it would have been different.

[Faldaguy]

Probably the first thought is yummy; for that 7cm round disk of soft warm dough with butter and @#$%^&*()_ But since I like word games, my mind will quickly look for some way to reply that uses a word out of context.

From years In Hockey country, a biscuit is a puck, and like fellow wood-smith Coder, biscuits are rather useful in sloppy joinery. The old farm boy in me stills watches out for biscuits in the pasture, which brings to mind driving from our daughter's home in Olympia to my SIL's place in Raymond where you pass through the little town of Alma that offers up their version of Biscuits and Gravy, "Cow Pie Biscuits"-- served with gravy! Ray, sometimes it is better not to ask!

[Ray]

Jaffa: a cake, not a biscuit….