i do find it mostly just funny to see people get all prescriptivistically pedantic about usage of different words for toxins in everyday conversation
but there’s also some linguistic curiosity of my own, as to how this classification system works
like. if “venomous” means you get the effect by being bitten (like by a snake) does that mean all toxins that take effect through the bloodstream are venom
does execution by lethal injection count as venom? Does it matter whether intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous? (those distinctions are actually pretty important when dealing with medical injections because they do influence the effectiveness of the med, so maybe they also get different names when the injection is for killing instead of healing? i wanna know)
if we have different words for “it kills you if injected inside you through your skin” (venom) and “it kills you if you ingest it through your mouth” (poison) I want a whole vocabulary for all administration routes
i want words for toxic
- inhalations
- suppositories, both rectal and vaginal
- topical cream/lotion/ointment/gel (possibly different words for each)
- nasal spray
- ear drops and eye drops
- all the different types of injections, separately
- maybe also further categorize the oral route, because you’d be impressed how much difference it makes whether you ingest something in a capsule, tablet, coated delayed-release tablet, liquid suspension or sublingual melt
if you’re gonna police people’s words about putting deadly stuff in your body, i want your entire legal system in writing. Not because I’m gonna follow the laws. just because I am autistic and this is the sort of thing i study for fun