Mignon Fogarty's Blog: Mignon Fogarty's Blog - Posts Tagged "english"
A Better Name for the Sequester
A few days ago the radio show Marketplace interviewed me about the word "sequester." Because Marketplace is a serious program, they did not include my suggestions for jazzing up the stories. Alas, I'll just have to share them with you here.
Is "Spendocalypse" Better?
The Atlantic Wire tried to make the sequester more interesting by calling it the "spendocalypse" in a headline. I looked at that and thought they were on to something, but they could have done better.
Portmanteaus Are Catchy
Portmanteaus are a popular way to capture the public's imagination (e.g., carmageddon, Brangelina, staycation).
However, the sequester is about cuts, not spending, so a blend meant to focus the public's attention on cuts should have had the word "cut" in it. Plus, I found "spendocalypse" hard to say. I had to slowly sound it out before I got it. Therefore, I propose the following portmanteaus for journalists who want to add a little flashy marketing to their sequester stories:
Cuttageddon
Cuttaclysm
Cuttastrophy (my favorite)
Maybe some enterprising linguist can comment on why I feel compelled to double the "t" in all these blends.
As I told Marketplace, I'm not opposed to using cheap marketing techniques if it will help people pay more attention to a serious topic such as the sequester.
Go learn about it: The Sequester: Absolutely everything you could possibly need to know, in one FAQ
Is "Spendocalypse" Better?
The Atlantic Wire tried to make the sequester more interesting by calling it the "spendocalypse" in a headline. I looked at that and thought they were on to something, but they could have done better.
Portmanteaus Are Catchy
Portmanteaus are a popular way to capture the public's imagination (e.g., carmageddon, Brangelina, staycation).
However, the sequester is about cuts, not spending, so a blend meant to focus the public's attention on cuts should have had the word "cut" in it. Plus, I found "spendocalypse" hard to say. I had to slowly sound it out before I got it. Therefore, I propose the following portmanteaus for journalists who want to add a little flashy marketing to their sequester stories:
Cuttageddon
Cuttaclysm
Cuttastrophy (my favorite)
Maybe some enterprising linguist can comment on why I feel compelled to double the "t" in all these blends.
As I told Marketplace, I'm not opposed to using cheap marketing techniques if it will help people pay more attention to a serious topic such as the sequester.
Go learn about it: The Sequester: Absolutely everything you could possibly need to know, in one FAQ
Fun with Idioms: Can't Live Without It
This headline in a tweet made me laugh today:
If they're little-known apps, that means most entrepreneuers don't have them; but if entrepreneurs can't live without the apps, does that mean most entrepreneurs are dying?
Fortunately, English isn't that literal.
"Can't live without it" is an idiom; it doesn't mean exactly what it says. If you can't live without something, it usually means you love it or find it extremely useful.
People aren't dying, but somehow that headline still struck my funny bone.
Little-Known Apps That Entrepreneurs Can’t Live Without zite.to/12UBJNu
— C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman) April 30, 2013
If they're little-known apps, that means most entrepreneuers don't have them; but if entrepreneurs can't live without the apps, does that mean most entrepreneurs are dying?
Fortunately, English isn't that literal.
"Can't live without it" is an idiom; it doesn't mean exactly what it says. If you can't live without something, it usually means you love it or find it extremely useful.
People aren't dying, but somehow that headline still struck my funny bone.
