Quote:
Originally Posted by meeera
If you go strictly by that Merriam Webster definition, without a view toward etymology or context or connotation or shared meanings, a poke in the eye with a sharp stick could be a "bonus". I think we all know that words are more complicated than that.
Dictionary.com says "something extra or additional given freely"
Oxford online (free) says "an extra and unexpected advantage".
I guess Oxford really is the best!
eta: Hang on, I just did a Merriam-Webster lookup online - and it says "something good that is more than what was expected or required". Different editions?
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Etymology often creates confusion, words don't always mean the same thing as the words they are derived from. Yes, words are complicated, and that's my point. The view that in order to be a bonus it must be good for all is a simplistic view.
The top definition of bonus on Merriam-Webster is
: something good that is more than what was expected or required
If you look down a couple lines there is
Full Definition of BONUS
: something in addition to what is expected or strictly due
Of course, virtually no one would consider a poke in the eye with a sharp stick to be a bonus, I'm not suggesting they would. However, getting an excerpt is hardly the same as getting a sharp stick in the eye. Whether an excerpt is good is a matter of opinion, and something can only be a lie if we are dealing with a matter of fact.
We've really gotten away from the meaning of "bonus" to the meaning of "good". Not all good things are of use or interest to everyone. A sample of Cascade is useless to me as I don't have a dishwasher. Does that mean it isn't a bonus? If things are only bonuses if everyone wants them they word is rendered useless. The prize in a box of Cracker Jack isn't much of a prize, but is it a lie to call it one? A parka isn't of use to someone on a beach in Hawaii, but that doesn't mean it isn't good, there are people who might find that parka quite useful. Free tickets to a movie you don't want to see aren't as much use, but you have something that someone might reasonably want. I'll agree that a sharp stick in the eye doesn't qualify as a bonus, it has to be something that a reasonable person might want. An excerpt is really no different than a parka or movie tickets, some people might want it, others might not. That doesn't mean it isn't good.