Brand names, children’s games, and the etiquette of phone conversations. Those clever plastic PEZ dispensers come in all shapes and sizes—but where did the word PEZ come from? The popular candy’s name is the product of wordplay involving the German...
A customer-service representative from Seattle, Washington, is curious about the phrases people use as a part of leave-taking when they’re finishing a telephone conversation. Linguists who conduct discourse analysis on such conversations say these...
bedwetter n.— «A member of Congress once told me that Representatives who consider changing their votes based on only a dozen or so phone calls from constituents are referred to as “bedwetters” by the other members of Congress.» —“Banking On...
peopletician n.—Gloss: A politician who is focused on citizens and not on government. Note: This word has been repeatedly recoined by many people. «We had the best Ulster County legislative representative you could want in Marion Umhey—who coined...
fishbowl negotiation n.— «When the various groups produced their recommendations, they were turned over to what was known as a “fishbowl negotiation.” Each small group selected a representative to negotiate for it with representatives of all the...
tele-town hall n.— «The congressman was in his office in Washington; his constituents were in their homes. With the help of technology, though, Davis was able to chat with a large segment of the people he represents. Voters, in turn, were able to...