BARBY VS BARBIE
Q Why do you abbreviate barbecue to ‘barby’ instead of ‘barbie’ eh?
Ann
Auckland
New Zealand
A Your question suggests that most Kiwis are similar to Australians and use the second spelling of the word.
My choice of ‘barby’ is deliberate. I can’t look at the other spelling without thinking about the diminutive plastic super blonde. And the multinational – Mattel - that manufactures the little money mine seems to think the same way.
A dispute has been raging for the past 11 years between Mattel and the owner of a Montreal restaurant called ‘Barbie’s Bar and Grill’. The small businessman has repeatedly pointed out that the word is an abbreviation for ‘barbeque’ and until recently the Canadian courts have agreed there is little chance of confusion between food and a doll. But the Supreme Court has recently allowed an appeal to be made by Mattel.
It reminds me of a similar situation a couple of years ago when French-owned Moet & Chandon threatened a Queensland winery with legal action. The reason given was that the French champagne giant believed there was too much similarity between its name and Channon Estate which is a Granite Belt winery named after its owners - Robert and Peggy Channon. Fortunately, Robert was a hot shot lawyer before deciding to become a vigneron so, at least in this case, the little guys were not pushed around.
I reckon the best way to get back at arrogant multinationals like Mattel is to avoid using the word altogether. That way, you rob them of the potential advertising they seem to believe is associated with the use of ‘their’ word.
So why do you use ‘barbecue’ instead of ‘barbeque’?
BBQ Blue