Chrysti The Wordsmith: Couch Potato

Greetings and welcome to Christie the wordsmith. The term couch potato has been with us long enough now that dictionary editors recognize it as a permanent member of our lexicon. The August Oxford English Dictionary says a couch potato is a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around especially watching television. As far as anyone can tell the term was first used in July 1976 when Tommy a senile one of a group of self-described indiscriminate TV viewers coined the word couch potato applying it to one of his indolent South California chums taken with the name and the concept the group of TV addicts momentarily got off the couch to appear in the 979 doo da parade a parody of the tournaments of roses event held in Pasadena assembling themselves on a float carrying TVs and ceremonial couches. The couch potatoes lounged passively simply watching television as their float toured the parade route. Encouraged by the dock crowds enthusiastic support the couch potato's trademark their name marketing bumper stickers caps and stuffed couch potato dolls even

publishing a newsletter called the tubers voice. The couch potato's newsletter and why was the potato chosen as an emblem for the couch lifestyle. Well lumpy heavy and inert the tuber lounges on its soft divan training its eyes on the television screen for endless hours. I'm Christie the wordsmith this programme is recorded and produced in the studios of KGO altie FM on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry sued web dotcom.