I saw a sign recently that said, “Feel Free to Pick My Weeds.” It occurred to me that I’ve never used the term, “pick weeds.” I alway say, “pull weeds.” I use the term “pick” with flowers — I pick flowers, I don’t pull them. Well, of course that got me to wondering….. does it really matter whether you use pick or pull? Probably not, but I figured…. maybe some extensive research? You bet.
I first headed to the dictionary and both pick and pull have pretty extensive (and varied) definitions.
Pick
(1) to choose (something deliberately or carefully, former as if from a group or number; select
(2) to provoke (an argument, fight, etc.) deliberately
(3) a person, thing, etc., that is chosen first or preferred
Pull
(1) an act of taking hold of something and exerting force to draw it toward one
(2) move in a specified direction with effort
(3) cancel or withdraw (an entertainment or advertisement)
So based on just the definition(s) of the words, my use of the terms seems more correct.
When you pick flowers, you are only taking (choosing) part of the plant (the pretty part) and the remainder of the plant is left to continue to grow.
When you pull weeds, the intent is to remove the whole plant, including its roots, so it won’t grow. Obviously in your yard, you can pick or pull weeds if that’s what you want, but in my yard, weeds get pulled — and we pick flowers. End of discussion…..
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