Whittlers %#&%%#@

Do you ever get a weird reaction from someone when you tell them that you are a whittler.  I some times get a weird reaction; but usually only if the person is older.  "Older" is kind of relative, cause I'm nearly 78 and I mean older than me.   I think the chances for the weird reaction comes from folks who know what a thesaurus is and have used one.  Referring to the  thesaurus and looking up the word "Whittler" the following words and phrases are listed to mean pretty much the same thing:

"Someone who whittles"  usually as an idle past time."
....do nothing, idler, layabout, loafer, bum, a person who does no work,  AND MY FAVORITE - "A lazy bum".

At least one a day a week I and some like minded friends carve/ whittle at the local senior center.  Old  people hang out at the senior center.  I think you can figure out where this is going....For years folks would stop and greet us with the words, "Good Morning Whittlers".  I always thought I detected an intonation in this greeting that suggested these folks had recently used the thesaurus.