Alpha Leader
I am an HKAOA member and I rather resent your assertion that union members "are themselves utterly ignorant about the term "scab". You can only be a "scab" if there's a lock-out….."
Now, that might be one generally accepted understanding but one definition from the Encarta online dictionary is (admittedly a slang entry),
dislikable person: somebody regarded as despicable or dislikable (slang insult),
whereas, my Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Volume II (1990) says inter alia:
"(orig. U.S.) A workman who refuses to join an organised movement on behalf of his trade 1811."
Could I also please remind you that the word was first used by our DFO no less than three times in one paragraph, in his letter to the President of the HKAOA on November 16th 2001. The HKAOA had always used the term "replacement workers".
You ask "can we please accept this as universal understanding of this word!" and I believe the answer is no.
Thank you.