Question.

[conuly]

Why do Americans call them "doggy biscuits" or "dog biscuits"? We're not Brits, so why don't we just call them "dog cookies"?

Comments

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Because they're savory, and not sweet?

[feasel.livejournal.com]

Dunno about most Americans, but we call our dog's treats cookies. Just "cookies", not "dog cookies" or "doggy cookies." It's all-inclusive; dog biscuits are cookies, but so is leftover people-food that she's allowed to eat.

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

That was what I was thinking. We do have "biscuits," which are not cookies, so it gets a bit confusing.

[conuly]

But our biscuits are nothing like brit biscuits, or even biscotti. They're more like scones.

[conuly]

Cookies don't, technically, have to be sweet.

But fine then. Why not say "dog crackers"?

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Because they're generally not thin enough to be considered a cracker, I think. A cracker ought to be something that you can crack with relative ease; your average dog-biscuit is a lot tougher (ever try to break a Milk-Bone? It's hard).

[arikatt.livejournal.com]

I call them dog cookies...

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

This probably isn't helpful but I just call them "dog treats". Or "Uke treats" since "Uke" is my dog's nickname.

[conuly]

But they're more like crackers than they are like biscuits!

[fascinoma.livejournal.com]

We tend to think of "biscuits" as things like cookies or small cakes, but savory instead of sweet.

[fascinoma.livejournal.com]

Duh, you just *said* "WE'RE not Brits". Why was I assuming you were the Brit in question?

Durrrrrr. I really should READ people's LJ entries before I respond.

[conuly]

*snrk*

At least your comment makes sense now... though most cookies *are* sweet instead of savory over here.

[conuly]

Oh, wait, I get it.

No, they have biscuits too. They call 'em scones. And they're not really biscuits, just kinda like biscuits.

[farraige.livejournal.com]

scones -- you mean as in those things similar to muffins, only executed from a denser type of dough? This is getting too ToM-level 2. I'm outta here.

[ahsirakh.livejournal.com]

Heh heh, "Uke"...

... sorry.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

We just call them dog bones.

because, y'know, they're shaped like bones.

[celticess.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. Canadians call them dog bisuits too. As for human cookies we have both bisuits and cookies. It depends on the type of cookie as to what we call it. Tea biscuits are a cookie but the lables tend to say tea biscuits. Most other cookies are just called cookies though.

Some britt spellings though are interesting. I wonder if australians use some of them. Canadians use some english, french, and american spellings. But it didn't dawn on me how different somethings are spelled til my ex boyfriend spelt tire one day as tyre.(He also got in an argument with me over how we say volkswagon here until I pointed at a commercial and said "see told you so")

[marveen.livejournal.com]

Because Americans have biscuits too, they're just different?

[conuly]

And nothing at all like dog biscuits.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

My chocolate-chip-walnut cookies are also nothing like the dog treats given to Fido.

[conuly]

But they are much more like those dog treats than biscuits are.

Anyway, those dog treats are a lot like biscotti, which are (as we all know) a type of cookie.

[sicpuppy.livejournal.com]

Never really thought of that before. Maybe dog biscuits originated here in the UK which is why they're called that? Here, or speaking purely for myself as a UK resident, I only use cookies if the it's round, sweet and has lumps in it, like chocolate chips. Kinda an interesting biscuit. If it's a regular biscuit from a packet with no bits in it (again, sweet), it's just a biscuit. I wouldn't say 'can I have a cookie' if I was referring to a Rich tea biscuit (they're kinda dull, plain sweet things you're supposed to dip in tea) because people would probably accuse me of unecessary americanisms, but it's ok if the product in question contains chips and is labelled as a cookie, like the maryland ones. But then sometimes, that'll even get called a biscuit too.

Scones are completely unrelated to biscuits here. They're sort of doughy cakey things with raisins in them that little old women like to have with tea and cream. Kinda fall more into the category of cake than biscuit.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Because they're savory, and not sweet?

[feasel.livejournal.com]

Dunno about most Americans, but we call our dog's treats cookies. Just "cookies", not "dog cookies" or "doggy cookies." It's all-inclusive; dog biscuits are cookies, but so is leftover people-food that she's allowed to eat.

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

That was what I was thinking. We do have "biscuits," which are not cookies, so it gets a bit confusing.

[conuly]

But our biscuits are nothing like brit biscuits, or even biscotti. They're more like scones.

[conuly]

Cookies don't, technically, have to be sweet.

But fine then. Why not say "dog crackers"?

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

Because they're generally not thin enough to be considered a cracker, I think. A cracker ought to be something that you can crack with relative ease; your average dog-biscuit is a lot tougher (ever try to break a Milk-Bone? It's hard).

[arikatt.livejournal.com]

I call them dog cookies...

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

This probably isn't helpful but I just call them "dog treats". Or "Uke treats" since "Uke" is my dog's nickname.

[conuly]

But they're more like crackers than they are like biscuits!

[fascinoma.livejournal.com]

We tend to think of "biscuits" as things like cookies or small cakes, but savory instead of sweet.

[fascinoma.livejournal.com]

Duh, you just *said* "WE'RE not Brits". Why was I assuming you were the Brit in question?

Durrrrrr. I really should READ people's LJ entries before I respond.

[conuly]

*snrk*

At least your comment makes sense now... though most cookies *are* sweet instead of savory over here.

[conuly]

Oh, wait, I get it.

No, they have biscuits too. They call 'em scones. And they're not really biscuits, just kinda like biscuits.

[farraige.livejournal.com]

scones -- you mean as in those things similar to muffins, only executed from a denser type of dough? This is getting too ToM-level 2. I'm outta here.

[ahsirakh.livejournal.com]

Heh heh, "Uke"...

... sorry.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

We just call them dog bones.

because, y'know, they're shaped like bones.

[celticess.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. Canadians call them dog bisuits too. As for human cookies we have both bisuits and cookies. It depends on the type of cookie as to what we call it. Tea biscuits are a cookie but the lables tend to say tea biscuits. Most other cookies are just called cookies though.

Some britt spellings though are interesting. I wonder if australians use some of them. Canadians use some english, french, and american spellings. But it didn't dawn on me how different somethings are spelled til my ex boyfriend spelt tire one day as tyre.(He also got in an argument with me over how we say volkswagon here until I pointed at a commercial and said "see told you so")

[marveen.livejournal.com]

Because Americans have biscuits too, they're just different?

[conuly]

And nothing at all like dog biscuits.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

My chocolate-chip-walnut cookies are also nothing like the dog treats given to Fido.

[conuly]

But they are much more like those dog treats than biscuits are.

Anyway, those dog treats are a lot like biscotti, which are (as we all know) a type of cookie.

[sicpuppy.livejournal.com]

Never really thought of that before. Maybe dog biscuits originated here in the UK which is why they're called that? Here, or speaking purely for myself as a UK resident, I only use cookies if the it's round, sweet and has lumps in it, like chocolate chips. Kinda an interesting biscuit. If it's a regular biscuit from a packet with no bits in it (again, sweet), it's just a biscuit. I wouldn't say 'can I have a cookie' if I was referring to a Rich tea biscuit (they're kinda dull, plain sweet things you're supposed to dip in tea) because people would probably accuse me of unecessary americanisms, but it's ok if the product in question contains chips and is labelled as a cookie, like the maryland ones. But then sometimes, that'll even get called a biscuit too.

Scones are completely unrelated to biscuits here. They're sort of doughy cakey things with raisins in them that little old women like to have with tea and cream. Kinda fall more into the category of cake than biscuit.