On the crowded NJ Transit train this morning I was forced to listen in to a conversation between two editors. One of them complained about how she was about to quit her job because in a meeting someone suggested "Maybe we should ideate this."
"Can you believe they used ideate as a verb," she asked her friend. "I was going to march down to HR and hand in my resignation."
NEWSFLASH: People make up words! Seriously, you grammar nazis need to get over yourselves.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Second-hand speech
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1 comment:
Waaall, I think it makes sense for editors to care about their language. I would certainly reword "ideate" if it came across my desk.
I guess that works best, though, if they realize that their positions on what works and what doesn't are a matter of esthetics rather than law. You don't tender your resignation over a matter of esthetics.
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