Mulling over George Pope to STEVE ASHER 02 Jan 2005

Hi George!

SA> I must get a copy of Don Watson's book, "Weasel Words". He was being
SA> interviewed yesterday, and "misspoke" got a mention. A bad choice of
SA> words for the Pentagon minder, as it apparently is a euphemism for
SA> "lied".

 GP> Sounds like an interesting book -- yes, sadly, "misspoke" is being
 GP> abused to obfuscate "lied", when really
"misspoke" should best be
 GP> used to refer to actual accidents of speech(ie. "slips of the
 GP> tongue")

I'll probably get a copy later today, it is in the local bookshop, which
has been closed for the holidays. "Misspeak" and
"misspoke" don't appear
in my fairly recent dictionary, but they would normally have meanings
like other "mis-" words - mishear, misplace etc - as you say, "slips
of the tongue".

 GP> More on the topic of NewSpeak:

 GP> More of that type of speak included in Some excerpts
 GP> from the _Quarterly Review of Doublespeak_ (NCTE) which you all
 GP> should find amusing:

 GP>   A reader reports that when the patient died, the attending doctor
 GP> recorded the following on the patient's chart:  "Patient failed to
 GP> fulfill his wellness potential."

"Negative patient outcome". But your example is good, because the fault
lies with the patient, not with the treatment or the doctor/s.

 GP>   Another doctor reports that in a recent issue of the *American
 GP> Journal of Family Practice* fleas were called "hematophagous
 GP> arthropod vectors." 

Just one of a number of "insect vectors", but sounds much more impressive!

 GP>   A reader reports that the Army calls them "vertically deployed
 GP> anti- personnel devices."  You probably call them bombs.

Hmmm... I wonder if they would let me board a plane if I declared I was
carrying a "horizontally deployed anti-radiation and precipitation device";
(an umbrella).

(Rest of the corporate newspeak deleted)

Cheers, Steve..

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