I just heard a story on the radio where the news anchor and a reporter said “sign off on” back and forth half a dozen times. Where did this, and saying “EX-actly”, come from? They’re everywhere today.
Instead of saying “he signed off on the agreement” why not just say “he signed the agreement”? And is there no word other than “exactly” that springs to mind when agreeing with someone?
At least these two turns of phrase came into the vernacular spontaneously. Others are manufactured — for example, the Rovian “boots on the ground”. I really dislike the use of that expression. Will Rovian become a descriptive term like Machiavellian?
P.S. One current expression I like, and enjoy using is, “What’s up with that?”
P.S. I’m sure I’ve said, but I played a female meteorologist on Pittsburgh’s TV channel KYW for about three years. They filmed a commercial at the old Accu-Wx spot, and we all had to dress up that day. The director came over to me and said, “Frankly, all the female meteorologists are ugly. You photograph beautifully. Think you could fake it?” I told him to go pound salt, that he should use the real ones, but the highers-up had their way and I sat down next to my old boss’s ex-husband and pulled up weather maps (I knew how to do it, when the guys weren’t at their stations and I needed info fast) and just talked to him while klieg lights blinded me for a half-hour. I never saw the commercial, but my in-laws did. Tom’s father called up immediately and said, “Jennie’s on TV!” (he never got my name right).
Joan, Elliot DID show me his little poems sometimes before he read them on-air. I also remember editing KYW text at 3:30 a.m. If I offered a suggestion, he would never use it! 😉 but he was nice about it. I have nothing nice to say about the guy who started Accu-Weather, except that he is a financial wizard, and that nice guys never finish last. He is a terribly unhappy, lonely man, yet I do not feel any pity for him. I was darn lucky to get unemployment when I left there. However, I ADORED my job and my colleagues.
I encountered a couple of violent meteorologists during my seven years there. One stood in the middle of the big main weather room and scream “EFF YOU, SO and SO!” at the top of his lungs for about ten minutes but he didn’t lose his job. I finally spoke up quietly and told him to please shut up so we could get back to work. He did. Another guy trashed the break room one time, then trashed the front door on another occasion. He works there to THIS DAY. We used to joke that the local hospital had a wing in the mental ward just for Accu-Wx (that’s that company abb. for it, try typing it in and you’ll get the website). I knew of at least one weather wizard who mysteriously disappeared for a month, then came back, 30 pounds thinner and looking much more relaxed.
The average meteorologist at Accu-Hell worked six-day workweeks, and 10-hour days. They had to sign contracts that did not allow them to work for any competition within an insane distance for years to come once they left. When I saw a dear old buddy doing the weather on a local TV station three years after I left, I KNEW he had paid a huge penalty fine out of his pocket to Accu-Weather, just to leave. It was no secret he was miserable there, and he had a large family to support. He’s the main weather guy on that station now, and making gobs of money, I imagine!
Joan and Doug, I kid you not: I turned on the TV this morning and one of the yucksters on Fox Early Morning whatever said: “EX-actly!” Oooh, cringe!
That must’ve been a cool job, Jean, except for the meteorologists driving you nuts! I grew up a weather nut listening to Elliot’s calls to KYW AM in Philly. I loved his poems he would do occasionally. Any chance you wrote any of those with him while editor? State College-the home of Accu Weather and Penn State-the home of a great meteorology school! I wanted so badly to go there and major but my science and math were not good enough. 🙁 So I’m one of those weather fans from that commercial the Weather Channel had on many years ago…only I don’t paint my face red for a warm front or blue for a cold front like the two guys on there! If I think of another English faux-pas I’ll let you know-it seems news reporting has more nowadays.
As an editor at Accu-Weather, I had to argue with the meteorologists all the time! They loved the word “orienTATed,” until I pointed out that it did not exist. They also used “further” instead of “farther.” Since weather is all about DIRECTION, I was constantly changing that. Then there was a “couple showers,” which should be “couple OF showers.” For five-day forecasts, it they abbreviated one thunderstorm to t-storm, they were supposed to do that to all of them, but rarely did. The SCREAMING when they saw the pages the next day! Thank God I had Elliot Abrams, who spoke and wrote well, to back me up!
By far, the most annoying task was having to rewrite a forecast from passive to active voice in the span of a minute or less. I was really good at that.
Hi! My favorite is when WPVI weatherman in Philly, Dave Roberts, (father of actor David Boreanaz), always says a storm watch will be over, say 3 “AM in the morning”. It seems redundant, and I’ve heard it on the Weather Channel too. What’s up with that?!! 🙂