Migtionary

Watch vs Clock

Over lunch, we were deliberating between the difference of a clock and a watch. When do you call it a watch and when do you call it a clock? I keep my stand that a watch is designed to be a portable time keeping device made for the sole purpose of telling time while a clock is a time telling mechanism which isn't made to be portable or is just an additional feature to an existing device.

Therefore, watches are limited to wrist watches, pocket watches, and the like, while everything else is a clock or has a clock feature.

Mug vs Cup

I recently got a red Nescafe cup from a friend. I love it. I've been looking for a mug for the office and this dainty, red Nescafe mug is just right for me. But what is it? Is it a cup or is it a mug?

One of my colleagues said that cups have saucers while a mug follows the generic shape and form of a mug (and we all used mugs in the office) and therefore I had a mug. However, I was not convinced and wanted to inquire more.

I will use three definitions of a cup. The first is that of a basic shape. It is a figure with its sides and bottom enclosed, resembling half a sphere. An object that is cup shaped and is used as a drinking vessel is another form of cup. This is the second definition. The third refers to the particular drinking vessel usually paired with saucers. So, my three definitions are defined by a) shape, b) function, and c) specific kind.

A mug is a form of a cup (as it prescribes to definition a). Mugs however, have their own distinct shape and form, and function (which is discussed later).

Why do we say coffee cup or a cup of coffee instead of coffee mug? It could be for the simple reason that alliteration just makes it sound better. However, it could also be because when coffee was first introduced, it was consumed in cups (the ones with saucers) and that's the terminology that got stuck. I imagine that these first coffee cups were used leisurely. They were probably accompanied by a snack or a meal, socialistic, or reading. It wasn'’t drunk because of necessity but rather for relaxation.

Mugs can contain more liquid than cups. I couldn't find any sources on the history of mugs, but I imagine them first being used by people who had loads of work to do (either physical or mental) who needed large quantities of liquid (probably alcohol, coffee, or other stimulants) to keep them going. So when staying up all night, you'd want to use a coffee mug because it will contain enough coffee to keep you from refilling ever so often.

I however am uncertain as to what you call a small mug. “Small mug” seems to be an oxymoron for me. That is why I do not want to just consider my cup a mug.

In the end, my coffee cup is a mug because of the generic mug shape and a cup because of the limited amount of coffee it can hold. Also given that basic fact that a mug is a form of cup, my dainty, red Nescafe drinking vessel is both a cup and a mug.

So what was all of this thinking for?

Wala lang. This is what I live for, answering life’s important questions.