This question of mine reminded me of a story (perhaps even a novel) in which a child is overhearing a lot of adult conversation about "eetees" (due to a first contact situation) and wonders who the "eater" is or will be (because the kid is interpreting "eetee" as "eatee" - "one who is eaten"). Probably a pretty famous author - someone like Pohl?
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This is Sundiver by David Brin.
"... Aliens, Jacob! They’re bringing extraterrestrials! In their own ships! Oh, Jake, the Vesarius is bringing home Eatees!”
It was the first time Jacob had ever heard that word. He had often wondered if Alice was the one to coin it. At ten years of age, he recalled, he had wondered if “eatee” implied that someone else was to be designated “eaten.”
As he drove above the streets of Tijuana, it occurred to him that the question still hadn’t been answered.
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4The eatee should be the person who is eaten, though, because the person who does the eating is the eater.– AdamantCommented Nov 10 at 22:53
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2@Adamant - Small children are not renowned for their perspicacity.– ValorumCommented Nov 10 at 22:59
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1@Adamant Presumably that means we don't know yet if the ETs taste good. Commented Nov 11 at 17:07
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