[elliekelly]

I’m not being contrary at all. Nor do I think I’ve grossly misunderstood the word. Haven’t you ever been to a trade show - a meeting of people from one profession?

I don’t think I’ve used the word outside of its definition:

> 3. b : the business or work in which one engages regularly : OCCUPATION

> 3. c : the persons engaged in an occupation, business, or industry

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade

[chrisseaton]

If you take your definition then all jobs are trades, in which case why do you think we have the word trade if it doesn’t add any new meaning, and what do you think a ‘profession‘ is?

Have you never heard people make a distinction between tradespeople and professionals?

What do you think the words in this article mean? Are they completely new concepts to you?

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/business-income-man...

> A ‘profession’ historically meant the three learned professions of the Church, Medicine and the Law but today the term goes much wider and normally involves some substantial exercise of intellectual skill.

[elliekelly]

It’s quite unnecessary for you to be so condescending. Of course I’m familiar with other uses of the word. Are you? Why are you so upset by what I’ve said?

What is the distinction between a chef trained at a vocational school and a lawyer trained at a law school? Or a programmer trained at Stanford?

Chefs produce something tangible, you might say. Lawyers do, too. We draft briefs and contracts and court filings. Or maybe you’ll point out that a chef has learned a skill that takes a certain je ne sais quoi that cant be taught but can only be acquired with deliberate practice? I would say the same of programmers. (And attorneys, for that matter.) Coding is as much an art as it is a science.

And I don’t think the document you’ve linked excludes professional trades. Lawyers and doctors and programmers all provide a service:

> ‘Trade’ therefore takes its ordinary meaning, which normally involves commercial operations by a trader who provides goods or services to his or her customers in exchange for a reward.

[chrisseaton]

> What is the distinction between a chef trained at a vocational school and a lawyer trained at a law school?

One is considered by society to be a 'tradesperson', while the other is considered a 'professional'. Society considers law to not be a 'trade' because it is a 'profession' instead and society sees these as mutually exclusive by definition.

I think what you really mean is you don't agree with society's definitions. That's fine - it's an interesting discussion and I didn't express any opinion on it myself. But I don't think you were ever really mistaken about what the original comment meant - you were feigning confusion as a rhetorical device, which is why I think other people down-voted you.

[elliekelly]

Please don’t speak for me. I wasn’t “feigning” anything and I meant exactly what I said.

[unishark]

I'd say the defining feature of a trade show is businesses demonstrating their specialized products for members of the profession. The word "show" is also important here.

Without that, a meeting of a profession is commonly called a conference.