|
|
|
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
hosting
by |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| I said that I’d never start a column off with a dictionary definition —- and I’m sticking to that promise -— but something in the good ole Merriam-Webster really caught my eye this time around. Here’s a little background on the issue. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been actively bitching about all the pro-God propaganda that everyone and their mother is tossing at Michael Newdow and his lawsuit regarding the Pledge of Allegiance (that’s another column, but in the meantime, check out http://towseyfrench.blogspot.com/). Nevertheless, in discussing this issue with my wife, I caught myself saying, "This constant mumbling about living and dying by the Declaration of Independence is really starting to become a pet peeve of mine." Now I’ve used the term pet peeve for a variety of things, yet I never really gave much thought as to whether I was using it correctly. This had me wondering (rather sheepishly) if I was going to figure out that everyone I’ve ever spoken with has been quietly making fun of me — just like when Alanis Morissette bastardized the word ironic. I decided it was damn well time to look into the issue before letting those two little words slip out, again. In my quest for the truth, I logged on to what has become one of my most important resources, www.m-w.com, and found Merriam-Webster’s definition. While the definition didn’t really shock, amaze or seduce me, the date that the M-W editors attributed to the word did: circa 1919. My first question was just who decided that the first time the phrase pet peeve started to circulate was 1919? Better yet, just what the Hell does circa mean? Back to www.m-w.com. The definition of circa is "[a]t, in, or of approximately -- used especially with dates." Interestingly enough, circa is dated by the M-W editors at exactly 1861. Apparently, the literary world is a bit surer of itself in hammering down a birth date for the word circa than it is for pet peeve. Regardless, I would truly love to know the process for solidifying just when it is that a word is born into the English vernacular (or at least M-W’s vernacular). Better yet, does the M-W date even relate directly to the English vernacular, or does it go back as far as possible, referencing the root of the word’s origin, regardless of its geographic or cultural heritage? Interestingly, M-W actually has a good deal to say about their process for adding words to the dictionary: To decide which words to include in the dictionary and to determine what they mean, Merriam-Webster editors study the language as it's used. They carefully monitor which words people use most often and how they use them. Each day most Merriam-Webster editors devote an hour or two to reading a cross section of published material, including books, newspapers, magazines, and electronic publications; in our office this activity is called "reading and marking." The editors scour the texts in search of new words, new usages of existing words, variant spellings, and inflected forms–in short, anything that might help in deciding if a word belongs in the dictionary, understanding what it means, and determining typical usage. Any word of interest is marked, along with surrounding context that offers insight into its form and use.
Back to the subject at hand... I can’t help but wonder just who first coined the term pet peeve. What was the conversation like and where did it take place? I’m guessing it was 1919, maybe 1918. The setting: a group of guys walking back to their borough somewhere in Northern Pennsylvania. Michael looks over to Joseph and says, "That Wilton really peeves me like no tomorrow." To this, Abel pipes up with, "Me too! That type of thing just keeps biting away at me all day. Here we are busting our asses and he has the nerve to tell us to move faster? Oh that peeves me. It’s like some pathetic little dog that won’t leave you alone. It’s always there, biting at your heels!" Michael replies, "That’s right! Wilton is my shitty little pet dog. My little pet peeve that won’t go away." The group laughed and laughed, and upon unionizing due to terrible working conditions, founded their very first newsletter, the Pet Peeve. And so the word was born and the M-W editors had something to work with. They couldn’t attribute it exactly, but they were able to collect a copy of the newsletter and thus gave the word the stamp of circa. I just love happy endings! By the way, the definition of pet peeve: "a frequent subject of complaint." I guess I wasn’t too far off. Sorry Alanis, no new guests in your house of shame. |
||
|
Roderick Armageddon is Chief Thinker for Stage Nomad - a non-profit artistic collective, Rod writes from his home on Mars. |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
