Timeline for A term for products whose "secret" features are well-known (but not publicized)
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| May 31, 2015 at 4:49 | comment | added | stevesliva | @Mari-LouA, using drugs against their intended use is most definitely is forbidden by rules and custom-- the rules and customs of the FDA and the manufacturer's lawyers. That's exactly why it's illicit and not illegal and the words aren't perfect synonyms. Take a look at google's #1 hit for "illicit drug use." It includes inhaling the NO2 from aerosol whipped cream... which may be legal or not, but it's an illicit use of Reddi-whip. There are reasons the makers did not condone these uses, and it's because someone finds them illicit. Not illegal, but illicit. | |
| May 30, 2015 at 16:34 | comment | added | Mari-Lou A | Definition of illicit, "forbidden by law, rules, or custom." The excessive use of over the counter medicines is not forbidden; there is no rule or law which condemns anyone from becoming incredibly drunk and intoxicated, it is perfectly legal to be drunk in the privacy of one's home. | |
| May 29, 2015 at 20:38 | comment | added | stevesliva | @Yang -- it's clearly a broader term than you understand it to be. Calling them illicit uses is entirely appropriate if you understand the word. Go google the OED examples. "illicit fifths" when describing music. "illicit love." "illicit passion." I doesn't mean "illegal." It can mean unsanctioned, or not doctrinaire. It describes the relevant features, and that's all I've suggested. "Products with illicit uses" is far broader a term for what is asked for than "products with off-label" uses, as far as I'm concerned. | |
| May 29, 2015 at 17:52 | comment | added | Yang | Fine, illicit is a slightly broader term than illegal, and you're correct that it includes the abuse of otherwise legal drugs. A word meaning "not permitted by law" is nonetheless a tremendously poor fit for what the questioner is looking for - "a product whose primary function is unadvertised". It's a technically correct description of only one of three examples mentioned, and does not describe the relevant feature even in that example. | |
| May 29, 2015 at 16:53 | comment | added | stevesliva | @Yang, no, it isn't. It is not a perfect antonym of legal. If we ignore connotation, then we're not speaking English. The abuse of legal drugs is illicit, and the question specifically mentions them. | |
| May 29, 2015 at 7:39 | comment | added | Yang | Illicit is a synonym for illegal. This is an inappropriate term for at least two of the asker's examples. | |
| May 29, 2015 at 5:33 | history | answered | stevesliva | CC BY-SA 3.0 |