Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Greetings, workers of the world! This is another newsletter from A Way with Words.

This past weekend's show was re-run about the secret words of families. Give it a spin:

https://waywordradio.org/families/

We also talked about “knocked up,” “the real McCoy,” instantly vs. instantaneously, a term to replace “indian giver,” and more.

Next week's show will be brand-spanking-new!

While we've been preparing that, we've also been sorting through the many responses to our query a few weeks ago from a couple seeking a better word for the idea of retirement.

They wanted a positive word, one for the kind of retirement in which you don't just sit around in your pajamas watching soaps. They said they plan to do other work and to stay active and involved in the world. We offered a few words, but we also asked you for your ideas.

We had a huge response! Just huge. Many responses expressed optimism, hope, and renewal, countering the common concept of retirement as the end of active life and the start of a slow slide toward oblivion.

We've sorted through your responses, added a few notes and comments, and removed duplicates. Which word below do you think is the best term to express the idea of retiring from one job only to go on and do other kinds of work, paid or not?

active retirement

benemployment — “bene,” as in “good,” plus “employment.”

career deployment or careedeployment

carefree employment or carefree deployment

CM — choice-maker.

de-employment — Maybe not. Sounds like a euphemism for getting fired!

down-shifting — Maybe if you're retiring from the NASCAR circuit? NASCAR drivers don't retire, they just downshift.

free agent — And this is for retirees from MLB or the NFL…

freelancing or experienced freelancer — Tons of people suggested these. Freelancing is working for numerous companies as a contractor or lance-for-hire, which we're not sure is what the original caller had in mind.

FTC — adj. free to choose.

hiatus — Well, it's not a sabbatical or break–they're still going to be active.

jubilado — a term used in Judeo/Christian tradition for “release,” but widely used in Spanish to mean “a pensioner” or “retiree.” Retirement, then, is “jubilación.” If you have been released from bondage to a job, you are set free. Love this one!

life alignment

life designment — life + design + (employ)ment.

lifeoyment — life + (empl)oyment.

nuvelation — n(ew) + revelation.

parry-retirement — Maybe you meant “pararetirement”? Or is this this about striking a blow against The Man?

part-time, to go — Also not quite there, as it's not necessarily about reducing one's hours and it is about doing something new.

pre-retirement or pre-tirement — Very common responses.

pre-tired — adj. An argument for retiring before the age of 40?

pro-tirement — Many people offered this one, too.

re-careering — Yes! That's how we want to spend our retirement, repeatedly careering around the streets because we have nothing better to do.

re-creating — Having children at an advanced age?

re-employment — Another popular suggestion.

re-engagement — Ah–marrying someone much younger does seem to be a popular retirement pastime, doesn't it?

re-staging — That's what they do to prettify a house for sale, right? Here it kind of sounds like a euphemism for plastic surgery.

recalculating — What some GPS devices say when they are figuring out new routes.

recasting — Trying out new roles? Making new molds to break?

rechaptering — Old book editors don't retire, they just rechapter.

rededicating — Since it's what they do when they relaunch large ships, maybe it's the most appropriate word on this list.

redirecting or redirection

refocusing

regroup

rejobbing

reparting — Let my retirees go!

rephasing — Old starship crew members don't retire, they just rephase.

reployment — New tricks for old dogs.

repositioning — From pawn to queen.

restructuring — Old bankruptcy lawyers don't retire, they just restructure.

secular emancipation

semi-retirement

transvergence

transversion — Tranny for short?

twilightment — Turn up the lights! My eyes are bad enough.

vanaprastham — A Sanskrit word that describes the supposed state of life one could lead after retiring from active work.

Thanks! More later.

Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett
Co-hosts of A Way with Words
https://waywordradio.org

Call or write with your language questions 24 hours a day:
(877) WAY-WORD
(877) 929-9673
words@waywordradio.org

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