mark, Author at Lexicide

Bemusement (spotted on Trendhunter.com)

Subway Slides: HIK Ontwerpers Gives City Commuters a Post-Transit Thrill

July 24, 2011

“The engineers at Dutch design firm HIK Ontwerpers clearly know how boring, stressful and generally uncomfortable commuting can be. Why not inject some childish bemusement into the whole process?”

If the “subway slides” (a fantastic idea, if you ask me) are meant to “puzzle, confuse or bewilder” commuters, then the writer of this article is spot on. For that is the definition of bemuse, according to the New Oxford English Dictionary. Bemusement is not the same as amusement, even though (here it comes) they sound and look the same.

On the other hand, a bemusement park sounds like a great idea. It could be where bad writers spend eternity stymied by turnstiles that go the wrong way and cattle chutes that get you tantalizingly close to the rides — yet somehow never reach them.

— Otto E. Mezzo

Hail Britannia!

The BBC News Magazine asked their readers for their favorite “Americanisms.” As published in “Americanisms: 50 of your most noted examples,” the examples range from the hilarious to the sobering to the nitpicky (Sor-ree if we pronounce words differently). Here is my favorite excerpt:

I hate “alternate” for “alternative”. I don’t like this as they are two distinct words, both have distinct meanings and it’s useful to have both. Using alternate for alternative deprives us of a word.

The very definition of a lexicide! O frabjous day! Somebody gets it! Further on up the ladder, another reader writes:

The word I hate to hear is “leverage“. Pronounced lev-er-ig rather than lee-ver -ig. It seems to pop up in all aspects of work. And its meaning seems to have changed to “value added”.

Surely, Brits must be guilty of their own lexicides. But today, I think I’ll have bubble and squeak for dinner, in honor of this transatlantic alliance in defense of our words. After all, words are our speciality.

— Otto E. Mezzo

Politically Correct

POLITICALLY CORRECT: “Political correctness (adjectivally, politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts, and doing so to an excessive extent.” — from the Wikipedia entry for political correctness.

Political correctness is much like obscenity. You can’t define it, but you know it when you see, read or hear it. As with obscenity, the boundaries of political correctness differ for each person. For some people, referring to a person as “African-American” is preferable to “black.” For other more sensitive types, even “black” is verboten. (These are usually the same people who then go on trying to describe a person as “you know, tall, wearing a blue shirt, sits over by accounting — I think he plays tennis,” as if this will help you find him.)

What politically correct does not mean is “socially graceful,” as in “Did you just ask Janet if she was pregnant? That was so not politically correct.” While uttering a politically incorrect statement may be a faux pas, not all faux pas are politically incorrect. Oh sure, some will argue that opposing the boss’s proposal to outsource interoffice mail to flying monkeys is indeed politically incorrect. After all, office politics are involved here. But that is not what both the detractors and defenders of PC mean they use the term. Don’t ask them to define it. But we all know it when we see it.

— Otto E. Mezzo

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_correctness

Exemplar

EXEMPLAR: “a person or thing serving as a typical example or excellent model.” — New Oxford American Dictionary

News flash: I am a “word nazi.” This from several of my dear friends, some professional wordsmiths. It would be gauche to defend myself in these pages, even less genteel to rudely cast them into the abyss of usage-scoffers (the marketing majors, the journalism interns, the TV news producers) while dancing a self-righteous minuet on their execrable memos. So I shall refrain. Now on to exemplar.

Exemplar is business-speak for example because they look similar and exemplar has more letters (see holistic, minimalist, simplistic, etc. etc. etc.). What? Hold on. Let me take this call.

Offended Writer-Type Friend: Hey, Otto. You’re going to tell everyone that exemplar is not the same as example, aren’t you?

Otto: Why yes, Offended Writer-Type Friend, I was. They are not the same.

OWTF: Oh yeah? Then why is the word “example” used in the definition? Explain that, Mr. High and Mighty.

Otto: Wha? Are you serious? If the word “example” is in the definition, then exemplar clearly means something different or more specific than example. In this case, an exemplar is a model to be held-up and emulated, or else one that is especially typical — an epitome.

OWTF: And how is that different from example? I’m an exemplar to writers everywhere. I’m an example to writers everywhere. See? Same thing.

Otto: But wait. What are you an example of? Maybe you’re an example of clumsy word choice or of how not to choose an agent. Example is quality-neutral. A criminal can be made an example of, but he is not an exemplar to other citizens.

OWTF: So by you, it’s incorrect to write: “One exemplar of a subcompact car is the Toyota Corolla.”

Otto: Correct, unless you are holding up the Corolla as everything a subcompact car represents, the epitome of subcompacts. It is also incorrect to modify exemplar with “best,” as the exemplar is by definition the best example.

OWTF: See? You just said an exemplar is the best example. It’s too confusing. You see why no one listens to you? I’m just going to keep using exemplar to mean “example.” It sounds more pretentious and helps me get chicks at parties. This is just another exemplar of your word-nazi-isticness.

[LINE DISCONNECTS. OTTO is left staring dumbly at the phone, wondering why he’s receiving a dial tone on his 4G cell phone ]

Holistic

HOLISTIC: “adjective, chiefly Philosophy: characterized by the comprehension of the parts of something intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
“Medicine: characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease.” — New Oxford American Dictionary

If you don’t know what a word means, you have no business using it. By my logic, there are thousands — nay, millions of people who should not be using the word holistic. Ever.

Holistic does not mean “whole,” as in “Let’s look at the holistic flowchart.” You also cannot refer to “the holistic process” unless your process (whichever one that is) is indeed holistic. And considering how many “green” companies don’t even recycle, I’m betting good money your process is far from holistic.

I don’t know enough about holistic business practices to lord it over you. Go read about Six Sigma or Ed Deming. And quit it with holistic, simplistic and minimalist. They are not the same as “whole,” “simple” and “minimal.”

— Otto E. Mezzo

My holistic “sighting”

“I feel badly!”

Lexicide don’t do grammar, but I couldn’t resist linking to Grammar Girl’s article “Bad Versus Badly.” This has always been a pet peeve of mine. In short, if you regret something, you feel bad. If you suffer from analgesia, you feel badly. Or, if you stab someone in the back but insist, “Gosh, I feel badly,” well, you’ve spoken the truth.

— Otto E. Mezzo

Reference: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/bad-versus-badly.aspx

Opinionated

OPINIONATED: “conceitedly assertive and dogmatic in one’s opinions: an arrogant and opinionated man.” —New Oxford American Dictionary

Sometimes lexicides say more than they mean to. People who insist on verbiage probably prefer excessive wordiness to succinct copy. People who brag about their simplistic solutions are most likely telling more truth than they intend. So it often is with opinionated.

Many people use opinionated to mean “having strong opinions,” with positive connotations. For example, I found a San Francisco Chronicle headline that promised “an opinionated look at the year’s top ten health stories.” More recently, a story in the Puget Sound Business Journal profiled a female CEO who was “sharp, opinionated, ambitious and deeply insightful about both leadership and business.” Perhaps the Chronicle believes that bashing Bush and drug companies is a virtue (hmmm…), but really, these uses of opinionated may reveal more about the authors than they intend. Is the Chronicle a dogmatic manifesto? Does the Puget Sound Business Journal writer think any powerful woman with strong opinions is arrogant and conceited? Again, hmmm…

Don’t make others wonder about your motives. Stay away from opinionated unless you mean what it means — overbearing and unmoving in offering opinions. If my advice makes me opinionated, then so be it.

— Otto E. Mezzo

References:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2004-01-04/living/17406815_1_health-insurance-health-care-dementia
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2011/05/how-tough-is-the-tech-sector-for-women.html

Sponge (spotted on Huffington Post)

Jon Kyl Sponges Remark That Was ‘Not Intended To Be A Factual Statement’ From Congressional Record
April 21, 2011

Nice editorial oversight. And this is the woman who’s supervising all of AOL’s news content? Let the record show the correct word is expunge, which, according to the trusty NOAD, means to “erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant).” Even the commenters seem to know that.

— Otto E. Mezzo

Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/jon-kyl-factual-statement-congressional-record_n_852257.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Solvency (spotted on CNN.com)

A ‘stupid’ mistake or murder?
April 9, 2011

…Even with the new information, however, authorities caution that the full picture of what happened that day, leading to David Hartley’s death, may never be known.

“It didn’t happen in the United States,” said Zapata County, Texas, Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez.

And Mexican authorities, he told CNN, have “somewhat of a zero solvency rate, and a zero conviction rate.”

“So unfortunately, this case may remain open forever, even though the information and the evidence may be there,” according to Gonzalez…

With the never-ending U.S. budget crisis, you would expect to find the word solvency in the news — just not in a crime story. Solvency has never referred to the solving of crimes. It means “the ability to pay one’s debts” (New Oxford American Dictionary).

And speaking of which — Sheriff Gonzalez, you owe me one.

— Otto E. Mezzo

Reference: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/09/murder.in.mexico.falcon.lake/index.html?hpt=C1

WTF, OED?

In March, OED Online announced it would add LOL, FYI, OMG and — let me get this right — ♥ (that’s a heart symbol, for which read “love” as a verb). Many word snobs have decried these additions. Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post growls:

“I’m all for staying hip and relevant… The Oxford English Dictionary, on the other hand, is supposed to have dignity. It is supposed to enshrine the words that actually mean things. Just because people are using these words doesn’t mean that they deserve to be in the dictionary.”

She goes on, slicing wittily: “You are the Oxford English Dictionary. Do you know what that means? That means that you are never, ever going to be invited to the hip afterparties, no matter what you do or how many asinine “initialisms” you say are words. You are not going to get to hang with Miley. You are a dictionary, and you are supposed to be a watchdog of language, not the one handing ID’s to every silly neologism so they can slip past the bouncers. Stop trying to be cool and do your job.”

Now, normally I would hold my nose in the air, extend my pinky from my Château Haut-Brion and nod vigorously, but you know, this is the OED‘s job. Grade school teachers decry the use of ain’t. Should we excise it from the official lexicon? Is the chocolate ration still five grams?

English has become the world’s language, peppering speech in almost every nation and readily borrowing in kind. English succeeds because it grows and flows to fill the needs of its speakers — maybe because we don’t have a watchdog group like l’Académie française. Such arbiters of right and wrong tend to stifle innovation and exploration. I know, Lexicide derides what some of you call innovation (I call it ignorance — there’s a difference). But if you want proof that FYI needs a dictionary entry, read my article about folks who think it stands for “just in case.”

So carry on, OED. We ♥ you.