Talk:Philadelphia slang

Attention: Slang Glossary policy discussion underway
Slang glossaries violate the following policy:

Wikipedia is not a dictionary

Wikipedia is not a dictionary or a usage or jargon guide. Wikipedia articles are not:


 * 1) Dictionary definitions. Because Wikipedia is not a dictionary, please do not create an entry merely to define a term. An article should usually begin with a  good definition; if you come across an article that is nothing more than a definition, see if there is information you can add that would be appropriate for an encyclopedia. An exception to this rule is for articles about the cultural meanings of individual  numbers.
 * 2) Lists of such definitions. There are, however,  disambiguation pages consisting of pointers to other pages; these are used to clarify differing meanings of a word. Wikipedia also includes  glossary pages for various specialized fields.
 * 3) A usage guide or slang and idiom guide. Wikipedia is not in the business of saying how words, idioms, etc. should be used. We aren't teaching people how to talk like a Cockney chimney-sweep. However, it may be important in the context of an encyclopedia article to describe just how a word is used to distinguish among similar, easily confused ideas, as in nation or freedom. In some special cases an article about an essential piece of slang may be appropriate.

Due to the many AfDs which are initiated to enforce this policy and due to the resistance to such deletion by defenders of the glossaries, I have started a discussion at Wikipedia talk:What Wikipedia is not to rewrite the policy in order to solve this problem and to readdress this question: should slang glossaries by allowed on Wikipedia? --List Expert 23:45, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Cowgirls
This is a very common nickname for the Dallas Cowboys, not at all unique to or associated with Philly. Examples: a blogger in South Carolina, a blogger in NY, something else entirely, it seems, a collection of lame nicknames (Philadelphia Beagles! My, how clever. Denver Donkeys! I'm dyin' here...), a blog in DC, ... you get the point. - Mdsummermsw (talk) 19:34, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

Renamed article
So, with no discussion, Philadelphia slang is now ...and terminology, because it is "More professional and encompassing".

More "professional"? Last I checked, we aren't being paid to do this. More "encompassing"? Gee, let's call it "Letters, numbers, and marks of punctuation"; that is even more encompassing.

This article has been about Philadelphia slang. Changing the title to make it more... meh... proper changes what the article is. This should have been, and needs to be, discussed.

And what it "terminology"? "Tastykake" is a proper noun. It is certainly not slang any more than "France", "Betsy Ross", "City Blue", etc. Take a Tastykake to Bejing and it's still a "Tastykake". If Philadelphians call all such snack pies and cakes "Tastykakes", then you have Philadelphia terminology.

The Gallery is called "The Gallery" because that's its name. Similarly, the Great Wall of China is called "the Great Wall of China." Incidentally, "the Walt Whitman" for the Walt Whitman Bridge is similar to "the Great Wall" (of China). Mdsummermsw (talk) 15:52, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Cites
The long, ugly history of this article is littered with attempts to clean it up. One of the longer battles was over "A.C." for Atlantic City. I added a cite, now it stays.

Another battle was for "copper colored". No cite has yet been provided and I can't find one. It's gone.

Under policy, "Any edit lacking a reliable source may be removed". I intend to ask for citations on all but the shortened proper nouns*. Anything that doesn't find a cite in a reasonable amount of time, I will yank, per policy. I might google it, if I feel like it. I might not. "The burden of evidence lies with the editor who adds or restores material", not me. Mdsummermsw (talk) 15:58, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Clean up
I'm going to scrub this article. 1) There was no discussion on broadening the scope of the article from slang to slang "and terminology". There has been no discussion about what this is supposed to mean. Failing any substantial discussion to the contrary, I am going to move it back. 2) The long history of adding whatever anyone wants to add to this article without citation of any sort is over. All additions will need cites showing that the term is Philadelphia slang. Al others will be reverted. 3) Existing entries will get a once over. Those I can find a cite for, I will cite. I will remove the rest. Comments? Mdsummermsw (talk) 14:20, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

'"The Ben Franklin"
This is "slang" for the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the same sense that "City Hall" is slang for "Philadelphia City Hall". We also would need entries for the Walt Whitman (Bridge), Penn, Drexel, Temple, the Betsy Ross (Bridge), Broad (Street), Market (Street), the Delaware (River), Columbus (Blvd), Pat's (Steaks), the Melrose (Diner), Passyunk (Ave), the Blvd, the Rodin (Museum), the Art Museum,... - Mdsummermsw (talk) 14:48, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

What is this article?
At some point in the past, someone decided this article should be "Philadelphia slang and jargon" (without discussion). Slang: "Being informal speech, slang is the complete opposite of jargon." Everything contains its opposite, right?

Anyway, I've been working on this article for a bit, and it seems to me it has serious problems. Primarily, WP:NOT. Wikipedia is not a dictionary, or a slang, jargon, or usage guide. Well, this article is. I am proposing that we transwiki this bad boy out of here. I'm leaving this here for any discussion before adding the " TM.- Mdsummermsw (talk) 17:48, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry but I fail to see how this is appropriate for wikibooks either. Wikibooks is also not a dictionary.  This page does not have the makings of a textbook. --AdRiley (talk) 14:29, 16 July 2008 (UTC)