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Archives for November 2020

Identity Crisis: What do you call “#”?

Those of a certain age will remember when the symbol on a computer keyboard sharing real estate with the number 3 key was called a pound sign. (Even that term is a North American derivation of the more universal number sign.)

Then came the rise of social media and the symbol’s appropriation by digital natives to use as an indexing tool, which they summarily repackaged as the now-ubiquitous hashtag.

This cute little symbol with its updated name has become so pervasive within the last decade that the use of its name in the course of conversation connotes something which, if in print, would be seen in bold or italics. 

Example: “Stopped in traffic, the driver next to me totally caught me picking my nose, ‘hashtag: busted.’”

Many old-school journalists will remember when it was common to add treble pound signs to the bottom of an article indicating to wire services the article ended, ensuring no copy inadvertently missing. (The alternative was to type – 30 – …  a blog for another time.)Nowadays, it’s unlikely any person born after 1980 would even think to call it a pound sign or risk being called a “boomer,” even if, technically, you’re really a Gen X-er. (Does Gen. Z even differentiate between the two?)

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Do you “Flesh it OUt” or “Flush it out”?

One term that seems to cause a bit of confusion, each seemingly lending itself to the objective of its meaning, is neither intuitive nor inter-changeable: “flesh it out” versus “flush it out.”

Of course, once it’s pointed out to you, you’ll never make that mistake again. I still recall the day in high school — in government class — when my friend pointed out to me that there is no “s” in anyway(s)! Thanks, Erin!

If you’ve been confused, here’s succor … you’re not alone. In fact, confusion over “flesh” and “flush” is prevalent enough that it made Vol. II of Merriam-Webster’s list of Top 10 Commonly Confused Words.

Saying these two words out loud, it’s easy to hear why they get confused; without careful pronunciation, “flesh” and “flush” sound nearly identical. Add the fact these two words can generally be used in similar contexts doesn’t help.

Get the skinny by clicking on the Read More link below…

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Are we “talking turkey” because it’s thanksgiving?

There seems to be no better time than now to examine the phrase “talk turkey.” It is, after all, that time of year. In short, the phrase “talk turkey” usually means “to speak frankly,” though this time of year it’s more likely to be a discussion of how to cook the bird.

People might not use it as often if they realized its derivation seems to be white settlers in North America cheating Native Americans.

According to the Columbia Journalism Review, the first recorded use of “talk turkey” was in 1824. While the origin story has several machinations, and no one is sure any of them are true, the common explanation goes like this:

A white man went hunting with a Native American, and they bagged some turkeys as well as some less desirable birds, possibly buzzards or crows. According to The Dictionary of American Slang, the white man said something like, “You take the crow and I’ll take the turkey, or I’ll take the turkey and you take the crow,” 

In other words, the white man was intent on keeping the good bird. The Native American supposedly replied, “You’re not talking turkey to me.”

A version of this story was repeated in 1837, in Niles’ Weekly Register, “…containing political, historical, geographical, scientifical, statistical, economical, and biographical documents, essays and facts.” One of the most widely circulated magazines in the United States during the time, it may be responsible for spreading that story — right or wrong.

The earliest uses of “talk turkey,” whatever its origin, involved talking to someone pleasantly but directly.

So, during this holiday season, where “fake news” is, unfortunately, de rigueur, let’s talk turkey to each other.

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What is a ‘pig in a poke’?

From 1985’s “National Lampoon’s European Vacation.” Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Perhaps not the most common turn of phrase, ‘pig in a poke’ is, nonetheless, quite a timely idiom insofar as what one expects versus what they get. (I’m thinking of myriad politicians in Congress right now.)  So, what exactly is a pig in a poke?

The origin dates back to the 16th Century; poke is what most of us (Americans) call a sack. Setting the scene … Nowadays, if you have a hankering for ham, you would likely head to the deli counter. Back in the 1500s, however, you had to carve that ham by purchasing the entire pig.

Since a sack — nay poke — was the most suitable container to stuff a piglet for sale in at the local market, merchants would package their goods in a poke that was often knotted at the top, preventing customers from seeing what they were buying.

When an unsuspecting buyer brought his poke home and went to release the piglet, a chicken, duck, goose, or other animals (of lesser value than a pig) would come out of the bundle instead.

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Five Tips on Email Communication: Best Practices

As the way we communicate in writing has evolved — from letters and telegrams to email and text — some of the rules to ensure we communicate effectively have changed with these various mediums. 

At the same time, most rules for effective written communication are of the golden variety, meaning they apply across any platform and can muck up an otherwise innocuous message.

We’ve all been there, whether it’s a big ol’ typo in your introduction, or an email so massaged that your original thought and its fourth iteration meet up in an embarrassingly incoherent way.

From choosing a word open to misinterpretation, or a paragraph so long Melville would sooner be drowned by his big white whale, we can avoid easily caught errors with a few simple steps.

Lastly, but not surprisingly, the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2020 survey listed written communication in its top five categories of critical skills prospective employees need to be considered for hire.

Since email has become the business world’s principal way of communicating between co-workers and to most company’s clients, let’s dive into some tips. 

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Salting the earth vs. salt of the earth

Salting the earth seems to be a rather popular turn of phrase lately, repeated by numerous television pundits describing President Donald Trump’s actions relating to his refusal to concede the 2020 election; his campaign’s filing dozens of lawsuits alleging voter fraud, and; his firing of various administration officials.

A similar-sounding phrase, but having a completely different meaning, is “salt of the earth.” What’s the difference and where did each originate?

“Salt the earth”

Most observers agree the modern idea of salting the earth is inspired by an incident in the Old Testament, [Judges 9:45], where the Israelite king Abimelech ‘razed the city and sowed it with salt’ at Shechem.

A popular notion of ‘salting the earth’ is also attributed to the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus around 146 BCE, who, upon successfully sacking the city-state of Carthage, passed plowshares over the razed city and sowed salt in its furrows, ostensibly turning its fertile land into desert.

As time passed, myth settled into legend and his action was lauded as a symbolic act by conquering armies over subjugated vassals — even though salt was, for centuries, a highly coveted and expensive spice; and is also a natural fertilizer.

Today, the phrase is euphemistic for any scorched-earth actions that seek to reap utter destruction.

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