Both Uses
liability
in
Fast Food Nation
(Edited)
- Far from being a liability, a high turnover rate in the meatpacking industry — as in the fast food industry — also helps maintain a workforce that is harder to unionize and much easier to control.
p. 161.5 *liability = something that creates a problem
- For years the large meatpacking companies have managed to avoid the sort of liability routinely imposed on the manufacturers of most consumer products.
p. 196.8 *liability = legal responsibility (that can result in lawsuits)
Definitions:
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(1)
(liability as in: she is a liability to our cause) any negative trait or thing that creates a problem
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(2)
(liability as in: liabilities on the balance sheet) the cash value that an accountant would place on things that are owed; or the things owed
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(3)
(liability as in: legal liability) legal obligation or responsibility (that can result in lawsuits)
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(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much less commonly, and typically found in classic literature, liability can be a noun form of liable, meaning something has a tendency to happen.