Strike out 'couch potato'

Gulf Daily News: "British potato farmers are on a mission to banish the term "couch potato" from the Oxford English Dictionary, arguing that the description of slothful TV addicts harms the vegetable's image. A group of about 30 farmers took their cause to the streets yesterday, demonstrating outside Parliament and carrying signs that read "couch potato out" and "ban the term couch potato." A similar rally took place in Oxford, central England. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term "couch potato" as "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes." The British Potato Council says the phrase makes the vegetable seem unhealthy. It wants the expression stripped from the dictionary and replaced in everyday speech with the term "couch slouch."

"The potato industry are fed up with the disservice that 'couch potato' does to our product when we have an inherently healthy product," said Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the British Potato Council, a body set up by the government to run advertising campaigns promoting potato consumption and research issues linked to the vegetable. "