"fat" or "overweight"?

[keannu]

Which is heavier? "fat" or "overweight"?

 

[5jj]

Well, a fat man is heavier than an overweight baby, but an overweight man is heavier than a fat baby.

 

[Odessa Dawn]

Well, a fat man is heavier than an overweight baby, but an overweight man is heavier than a fat baby.

To me, this is a difficult example to be understood. It seems that there is no difference in the meaning between fat and overweight. Am I correct, please?

​

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

To me, this is a difficult example to be understood. It seems that there is no difference in the meaning between fat and overweight. Am I correct, please?

No. Being overweight means weighing too much. From a medical perspective, a person is overweight if their BMI is between 25 and 30. Being fat also means weighing too much, but this word is usually used to make a comment about someone's appearance rather than state an objective fact.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Which is heavier? "fat" or "overweight"?

I guess a weighing scale may be in a better position to answer this question than an English teacher.

Not a teacher

 

[5jj]

I guess a weighing scale may be in a better position to answer this question than an English teacher.

Scales will enable a doctor to say whether or not a person is overweight. Only individual speakers can decide what word they will use to describe a person they consider to be fat/overweight/obese/stout/chubby/podgy/etc.

 

[Barb_D]

"Fat" is generally considered insulting. As said above, it's about how someone looks.

If I'm concerned about your health, I may say "I'm concerned about your excess weight and what it's doing to your heart."
If I'm mean, I may say "You look really fat in that dress."

 

[Matthew Wai]

"Fat" is generally considered insulting."

Then should I say "horizontally challenged" instead of "fat"? Do they mean the same?

 

[vrncnc1230]

In my opinion, overweight is more like a medical terminology or a proper noun.

Overweight has its own mean in medicine, that is your weight is more than your body can burden.
And fat is an adjective.Someone will say he/she is fat than before, but no one says he/she is overweight than before.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Dear vrncnc1230,

You have to say "Not a teacher" in your answers if you are not a teacher. Your profile says you are a learner.

Not a teacher.

 

[Rover_KE]

In my opinion, 'overweight​' is more like a medical term[STRIKE]inology[/STRIKE] or a proper noun. It's definitely not a proper noun.

Welcome to the forum, vrncnc.

Please read this extract from the Posting Guidelines:

You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post.

 

[Barb_D]

Then should I say "horizontally challenged" instead of "fat"? Do they mean the same?

You jokingly say someone is "vertically challenged" when he or she is short.
If you said "horizontally challenged" (something that I've never heard said), it would mean they were very slender.

Why do you need to say someone is fat in the first place? It is rude and demeaning. People who carry excess weight are well aware of this fact and don't need to be told about it.

Do you need to say that of the four men over there, the largest one is "Sam"? Sam is the one over there who is rather heavy set. -- If you like him. Sam is the fat guy over there. -- If you don't like him.

 

[Barb_D]

In my opinion, overweight is more like a medical terminology or a proper noun.

Overweight has its own mean in medicine, that is your weight is more than your body can burden.
And fat is an adjective.Someone will say he/she is fat than before, but no one says he/she is overweight than before.

Welcome to the forums, and I apprciate that you are tyring to help.
But you have given a wrong information.

This in particular is not true, as has already been pointed out:

In my opinion, overweight is more like a medical terminology or a proper noun.

This is true:

And fat is an adjective.

But "overweight" is also an adjective.

And this is not at all true:

Someone will say he/she is fat than before, but no one says he/she is overweight than before.

I am fatter [not "fat"] now than I was in high school.
I am more overweight now than I was in high school.

 

[Matthew Wai]

If you said "horizontally challenged" (something that I've never heard said), it would mean they were very slender.

The page below talks about "horizontally challenged", is it wrong?
horizontally challenged - Wiktionary

 

[Barb_D]

In my opinion, yes.

If "vertically challenged" (which actually is in common use in joking way) means "deficient in vertical characterisics" (i.e., short) then "horizontally challenged" (again, something I have never heard) should mean "deficient in horizontal characteristics" (i.e., too skinny).

If you wanted to say something in a similar joking way, you could say "She's a bit... horizontally enhanced, shall we say?"

 

[bhaisahab]

The page below talks about "horizontally challenged", is it wrong?
horizontally challenged - Wiktionary

I've never come across that expression. I expect to forget it quite quickly.

 

[Matthew Wai]

But you have given a wrong information.

Is it correct to use an indefinite article before "information" which is an uncountable noun? Is it a typo?

I've never come across that expression. I expect to forget it quite quickly.

The following dictionaries also include "horizontally challenged", are online dictionaries unreliable?
http://www.allwords.com/word-horizontally+challenged.html#AHD
Urban Dictionary: horizontally challenged

 

[bhaisahab]

Is it correct to use an indefinite article before "information" which is an uncountable noun? Is it a typo? It's a typo.


The following dictionaries also include "horizontally challenged", are online dictionaries unreliable?
Definition of horizontally challenged
Urban Dictionary: horizontally challenged

Most online dictionaries are fine. Some, in common with various other online "resources", are indeed unreliable.