![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sep. 4th, 2009
Also titled "Neologisms that make me want to KILL"
The latest entry? "Optic" which seems to be being used now as a noun signifying a view or appearance or an image (e.g., "The US wishes to avoid an optic of defeat in Iraq.")
Folks, there are all sorts of good ways to say this withe words we already have. There is no need to take a word which means something and misuse it in such a perverse fashion. This is a travesty of usage, because it turns the meaning on its head. Optic is a noun meaning an eye, or a device used to see; it is also an adjective used to indicate that something is related to seeing. It is NOT a word that means "the thing being seen". That's like using "chef" to mean the person who consumes a meal, or using "up" as a synonym for "down".
Bryan, can I borrow a few large-calibre handguns?...
The latest entry? "Optic" which seems to be being used now as a noun signifying a view or appearance or an image (e.g., "The US wishes to avoid an optic of defeat in Iraq.")
Folks, there are all sorts of good ways to say this withe words we already have. There is no need to take a word which means something and misuse it in such a perverse fashion. This is a travesty of usage, because it turns the meaning on its head. Optic is a noun meaning an eye, or a device used to see; it is also an adjective used to indicate that something is related to seeing. It is NOT a word that means "the thing being seen". That's like using "chef" to mean the person who consumes a meal, or using "up" as a synonym for "down".
Bryan, can I borrow a few large-calibre handguns?...
