Re: Michauxia
- Subject: Re: Michauxia
- From: S*
- Date: Tue, 01 Jan 2002 11:41:24 -0800
At 05:55 PM 1/1/2002 +0000, Tim Longville wrote:
>Thanks for the term 'heads-up,' too, by the way - a new one to me - but I
>think I worked out what it must mean!
It wasn't used exactly correctly, as it really has the sense of a warning
like "watch out" (although you can say "thanks for the heads-up", but you
can't say "thanks for the 'watch out'", can you?) Anyway, I left it in
despite the not-quite-appropriateness because I've noticed you like
language -- I love reading your posts for that reason.
I first knew the phase when I was a firefighter, working in the
woods*. Something a person above you on the mountainside will shout when
they dislodge a rock. But now I hear it frequently in a bureaucratic
context -- warning someone about some aspect of interoffice politics, for
example. *("In the woods" is West Coast US-ese for rugged mountain
terrain, i.e. forest fires in this context. Macho understatement, maybe,
that has become commonplace. Alright I'll shut up about words now... it's
very OT.)
Thank you for the news about Jane. Actually, I was worried. One never
knows, and I'm glad she's absent for a fun and plant-related reason.
Still sleepily,
-- Susannah
