Am I the only one bothered by the term "T's?"

[MikeC]

No. "widow/s" from my point of view, isn't correct. As i've said, "widow/s" is a common name, and common names do only nothing but confusion.

Okay. So back to my dog reference. Is "dog" incorrect, as it's a common name? What about various breeds of dogs? It has direct pertinence to my argument that "tarantula" is still correct terminology.

As for for French, and some Italians as well, who loves to label under the "Mygal/Mygals" or "Migale/Migali" (in Italian) term, the Theraphosidae "world" (here, Tarantulas) is damn wrong IMO.
Because, in that scenario, you can't anymore state "no one died from a bite"

That's about as logical a reason as "chocolate milk should be illegal because I'm allergic to chocolate."

As i've said, IMO to call Theraphosidae ALL the, no matter if NW or OW, and no matter: temperament, size, colours, venom potency, habits etc isn't wrong. Others aren't obligate to agree with that. I have nothing against people who call them "Tarantulas", i'm used to that, and the matter i dislike that means nothing.

I'm still trying to figure out why you feel it's incorrect. You haven't answered that, and I'm very curious.You just keep saying it's incorrect. I'd like a reason, please. I feel like you're dodging my question.

But i think is always better to be specific.

Wouldn't it then be better to pick a different term than Theraphosidae, since there's two families in there, one of which aren't tarantulas?

---------- Post added 09-17-2015 at 12:17 PM ----------

Oh, so we are being pedantic, eh? Well, I'll see folk's annoyance at "T's" and raise them my annoyance over "slings". It is a contraction of "spiderlings" and as such, should be "s'lings"!


Eh, I'm just T'sing , y'all!

Gosh, this thread needed another good dose of humor.

I have less problems calling them slings than if folks called them S's.

 

[elportoed]

Tarantula is a mouthful to say and too long to be typed over and over, so it's natural to be shorten to T.
We do that to people whose last names are too long or hard to pronounce, so they become Mr T, or Ms S, etc.

We can try using XLS, for extra large spider, or BAS, for big ass spider, or more polite term, BBS, for big booty spider, etc.

I have always wondered about slings though. It's short for spiderlings, but shouldn't it be tarantulings, or baby tarantulas for lack of a better word?

The word tarantula itself is originated from the spiders in the town of Taranto which aren't tarantula at all which you may have read about it in wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantula

 

[8Legs8Eyes]

Oh, so we are being pedantic, eh? Well, I'll see folk's annoyance at "T's" and raise them my annoyance over "slings". It is a contraction of "spiderlings" and as such, should be "s'lings"!


Eh, I'm just T'sing , y'all!

Made me laugh!

I'm still pretty new to T's - got my first one just 16 months ago. As I did research over what species of tarantula I was interested in getting, I frequently came across "T" on its own and as a newbie felt it just as common and normal to use as "OBT" or "sling." Having been used to it since day 1, I often use it interchangeably, although when I use "T" I notice I am actually just saying the letter and not really meaning it as an abbreviation, more as just a short nickname. As for out loud, at home I often tell my husband, "I am going to go check on the spiders." Less syllables and easier to say.

 

[Amimia]

I have always wonder about slings though. It's short for spiderlings, but shouldn't it be tarantulings, or baby tarantulas for lack of a better word?

I have too. When I was first researching it I thought 'sling' was a name for baby tarantulas as 'foal' is a name for baby horses. Kinda interesting to find out it's actually a slang term

 

[tonypace2009]

If I show up at Walmart looking for a T I am probably looking for a T shirt but if I am holding two catch cups. Then I am most likely looking for the other kind of T that some one saw scurrying across the floor. Or I am here to catch the huge hairy Aphonopelma Hentzi last seen climbing up the T shirt rack at Walmart. Actually using the T to represent a tarantula doesn't bother me . What bothers me is the fact that I am once again banned from any catch cups outside our home. All because I brought back a 7" centipede, I appropriately named NOTHING.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Well, the sling slang should be slung. It's s'ling, dammit!

 

[Beary Strange]

It does seem to be a newer generation thing. I doubt our grandparents had the same habit writing letters before email and electronic communication (barring telephones) showed up.

I can definitely see mixing "T's" into a conversation with someone who didn't know offhand what you referred to having some hilarious outcomes.

"Honey, I need to check on the T's." "Oh, I just folded them on the counter." "You did WHAT??"
"Shoot, my T escaped." "Did you check the hamper?"

It could go the other way, too.

"Man, this T is dirty." "Wait for it to molt."
"Oh, no! I ripped my T!" "If it's on the abdomen, superglue should help."



Edit: I feel like I should address this separately.. The whole "tarantulas aren't spiders" topic was not something I was expecting to have to refute on this forum. That astounds me.

Now see that is a circumtance in which I never use "Ts": when talking to laypersons about tarantulas. Calling them Ts in that situation is practically begging for a misunderstanding. Similar to trying to talk to them about a specific one and referring to it by scientific name, you just get a sort of blank stare.

I think the argument people are making re: calling them spiders is due to the fact that we already have a group of arachnids we call "true spiders". But, to say that they aren't spiders is incorrect; tarantulas are Theraphosidae, which are Mygalomorphae, which are Aranae (psst psst, spiders) and then Arachnida. I think some people forget about the Aranae in between Mygalomorphae and Arachnida. That said, I also am reticent to refer to them as spiders because when I say spider, I usually mean trues.

---------- Post added 09-17-2015 at 01:02 PM ----------

Well, the sling slang should be slung. It's s'ling, dammit!

That one confused me so much when I first entered the hobby. I thought it was some sort of slang term for selling and couldn't understand why they'd use it when they already had the 'FS' tag on there. >w<

 

[cold blood]

I guess I get it to those that are brand new to the hobby or to forums. When I first joined here I thought the t designation was hard to get used to and seemed strange, and I had a moment of resistance. But after some long time keepers expressed their preference for just using t, I quickly adapted...as anyone should when immersed in a hobby, any hobby/sport/activity....all hobbies have their shortened terms, and until you get sufficiently immersed in the hobby, you may not get it, but once you are immersed in it, it becomes second nature.

In fishing people rarely spell out largemouth bass or smallmouth bass, its just LMB or SMB, for instance.

In baseball no one gets upset when they look at a lineup and see 1B, 2B, SS, LF or even the single number designations instead of names, as in 5-4-3 double play for instance when describing a specific put out. Seems goofy to those outside the hobby, but is just a much easier way to designate the occurring play quickly and accurately.

Even professions have them, doctors and nurses have shortened terms for seemingly everything.


Bottom line, when in Rome, do as the Romans do....so if you're in the hobby, these should be embraced and accepted, not fought or left to irritate, cause that's never gonna change a thing, its been engrained into the hobby long before most of us were even alive. Don't fight it or be irritated by it....rather, embrace it.

I just don't see how the term/letter t would cause anyone a bit of angst or irritation, its not rocket science, its as simple as it could be made to be (of write). Write tarantula 10,000 times and you'll see t is just easier pretty quickly.

I'm utterly shocked that this nit-picky thread about a minor irritation for some took off like it did.

 

[BobGrill]

I don't want to sound pedantic at all, or an arrogant one. I just call Tarantulas Theraphosidae, that's all

Try convincing the rest of the non-spider enthusiast population to not call them tarantulas.

"I recommend reading The Theraphosidae Keepers Guide if you're new to the hobby. " I'll make sure to start telling people that.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[Sickgirlstatt2]

I don't get bothered so much by "T" I honestly have stareted using it myself however the one that really gets to me is when they're called specimens, I'm sorry but they're living, breathing creatures, and granted though I haven't asked any of mine but I'm fairly sure they have feelings. So calling them a "specimen" to me implys they don'y matter as an individual Tarantula, that they just are there for our amusement and I just don't feel that way about mine.

 

[truecreature]

Maybe it's just me but the word "tarantula" doesn't really lend itself well to a shortened version, like scorps or pedes. "Tars", "tarans", "tulas", etc just sound weird - hence T.

 

[14pokies]

I guess I get it to those that are brand new to the hobby or to forums. When I first joined here I thought the t designation was hard to get used to and seemed strange, and I had a moment of resistance. But after some long time keepers expressed their preference for just using t, I quickly adapted...as anyone should when immersed in a hobby, any hobby/sport/activity....all hobbies have their shortened terms, and until you get sufficiently immersed in the hobby, you may not get it, but once you are immersed in it, it becomes second nature.

In fishing people rarely spell out largemouth bass or smallmouth bass, its just LMB or SMB, for instance.

In baseball no one gets upset when they look at a lineup and see 1B, 2B, SS, LF or even the single number designations instead of names, as in 5-4-3 double play for instance when describing a specific put out. Seems goofy to those outside the hobby, but is just a much easier way to designate the occurring play quickly and accurately.

Even professions have them, doctors and nurses have shortened terms for seemingly everything.


Bottom line, when in Rome, do as the Romans do....so if you're in the hobby, these should be embraced and accepted, not fought or left to irritate, cause that's never gonna change a thing, its been engrained into the hobby long before most of us were even alive. Don't fight it or be irritated by it....rather, embrace it.

I just don't see how the term/letter t would cause anyone a bit of angst or irritation, its not rocket science, its as simple as it could be made to be (of write). Write tarantula 10,000 times and you'll see t is just easier pretty quickly.

I'm utterly shocked that this nit-picky thread about a minor irritation for some took off like it did.

You put it much better than i ever could.. See this is what i was gonna say.. TsTsTsTsTsTsTsTsTsTsTs REALLY this bugs you? TsTsTsTsTsTsTsTs its way faster to type T than tarantula TTs Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts suck it up its how we do on the boards TsTsT Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts...

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

When written, "T" doesn't bother me, but when someone verbally uses "T" I'm annoyed by it the same as when someone uses chat lingo in real life. I try not to use the word "tarantula" when speaking because it's a mouth full and it sounds abrasive hearing it. When someone speaks it, I hear "tar-an-CHOO-la" which sounds ridiculous to me. My favorite word, contrary to some, is Mygale. I'm never sure if it's pronounced "my-GALE" or "my-GAL" but I would love to know how it's pronounced in French.

 

[le-thomas]

When written, "T" doesn't bother me, but when someone verbally uses "T" I'm annoyed by it the same as when someone uses chat lingo in real life.

EXACTLY!

I hate the way "Ts" sounds, but seeing it online isn't so offensive. Just... the way it's said... I dunno.

Also not a fan. I usually just call them my spiders. It's easier to say than my tarantulas.

Same for me.

 

[viper69]

Oh, so we are being pedantic, eh? Well, I'll see folk's annoyance at "T's" and raise them my annoyance over "slings". It is a contraction of "spiderlings" and as such, should be "s'lings"!


Eh, I'm just T'sing , y'all!

What a grammar Nazi!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Okay. So back to my dog reference. Is "dog" incorrect, as it's a common name? What about various breeds of dogs? It has direct pertinence to my argument that "tarantula" is still correct terminology.



That's about as logical a reason as "chocolate milk should be illegal because I'm allergic to chocolate."



I'm still trying to figure out why you feel it's incorrect. You haven't answered that, and I'm very curious.You just keep saying it's incorrect. I'd like a reason, please. I feel like you're dodging my question.




Wouldn't it then be better to pick a different term than Theraphosidae, since there's two families in there, one of which aren't tarantulas?

---------- Post added 09-17-2015 at 12:17 PM ----------



Gosh, this thread needed another good dose of humor.

I have less problems calling them slings than if folks called them S's.

The venom example i'd put before was only for give you the idea. To call Theraphosidae Mygalomorphs is not completely correct. Mygalomorphae is the infraorder.

As for your dogs example, well i never bother myself with that, i mean.. i call them dogs, but honestly, there's differences among those as well.
A Mastino Napoletano is a dog, as well a dog is a little one like a Chihuahua. But there's differences, no?

For that same reason, Atrax robustus is a spider just like Loxosceles rufescens. But there's differences again as well.

I've said "dogs" and "spiders" not "dogs" and "tarantulas".

Reason i think Tarantulas is for me not correct? Because i think was made after Lycosa tarantula (not a Theraphosidae, btw, as you people know) i view that term as a generalization made back then for indicate somewhat big spiders.

But who knows? Actually Tarantulas is used by everyone, from USA to Russia. BobGrill is right about his TKG example, probably Tarantulas is more easy then Theraphosidae, indeed.

But i stick to Thorell, and call Tarantulas Theraphosidae.

 

[The Snark]

It snot T's it's Ts. Yer personal posssesive ernt neskissary. And dem tings ya ware is T-Ses and dem eyebrow lickin dipsnakes in da barz is teezes. Yall lern ta speek porper inglishes, ya hear?

 

[parthicus]

I agree with you, i prefer just to use tarantulas. Its clear and concise, and you will not get it confused with a genus such as Theraphosa.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I agree with you, i prefer just to use tarantulas. Its clear and concise, and you will not get it confused with a genus such as Theraphosa.

Confusion? Why? It's easy. Theraphosidae.
Theraphosa sp. and Theraphosinae sp. are both subfamily

 

[The Snark]

Can I toss a wrench into the works? Check out the etymology of the word Tarantula:
"1560s, "wolf spider," (Lycos tarantula), from Medieval Latin tarantula, from Italian tarantola, from Taranto "Taranto," seaport city in southern Italy in the region where the spiders are frequently found, from Latin Tarentum, from Greek Taras (genitive Tarantos; perhaps from Illyrian darandos "oak"). Its bite is only slightly poisonous. Popularly applied to other great hairy spiders, especially the genus Mygale, native to the warmer regions of the Americas (first so called in 1794)."