Explanation: There are two different families of pointy-faced trash-eating marsupials in the world One is from North America and is called "opossum" from a Powhatan term meaning "white dog" Everyone who actually interacts with them just says "possum" though
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The other is from Australia, and looks somewhat similar but is not actually at all closely related (all native Australian species are pretty distant from the rest of the world) For one thing, they don't have the characteristic white face the North American opossum was named for
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However, these are officially called "possums", because the British colonists named them after the North American opossum They did not include the O because no one in America actually says the O, and colonial Australia was, I gather, a somewhat informal place and time
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As a result of this, it's a whole stupid trivia thing that in the official dictionary spelling of the term, American opossums have the O (and "possum" is a mere "slang nickname") and Australian possums do not
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Therefore if you should ever refer to "opossums" as "possums" in print in some public venue, the chance is small but significant that someone will helpfully correct you "Those are opossums, possums are from Australia" This is very, very annoying
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Because NOBODY in the United States actually pronounces it "opossum" THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON THE AUSTRALIAN ONES ARE CALLED "POSSUMS" IN THE FIRST PLACE
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The whole thing is that a certain kind of linguistic pedant always defaults in the direction of maximal disambiguation, even though this isn't really how most humans think (it's arguably the *opposite* of how we think, we name most things directly after other things)
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So if you can find a way to make there be two distinct names for two different things instead of one you always must This is probably a good habit if you're a specialist working in a field But it's really annoying in everyday life
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Replying to @arthur_affect
I think the important point being neglected here is Australian possums are adorable and the American ones suck, so you guys should just use the O.pic.twitter.com/TIkhJNPaeQ
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Replying to @DaveMilbo
Well no see the reason opossums are such great animals is they sit so firmly in the twilight zone between cute and horrifyingpic.twitter.com/bhwCmy60UK
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I always liked the title of the Toadies song "Possum Kingdom" which is this Southern Gothic thing about redneck vampires American possums are basically undead (the "playing possum" defense mechanism, and how they're immune to rabies because their body temperature is too low)
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