say, it lays. Things get easiei" every day; we never had it so good.
The leaders of the Levelers are the mass-communicators, particularly in radio and television. Perhaps, bowing to the inevitable, it is time to make Televenglish retroactive: that is, to revise the English of the past much as the Stalinists revised the history of the Russian revolution. Just as the latter substituted Stalin for Trotsky, so ought we to substi- tute the Winstonian* "like" for the fascist-reactionary-im- penalist "as." (Example: Like the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my sou! after' thee.—King David) And perhaps it is best to bow, not rear the head (in fact, it is best not to use the head at all) when you hear Billy Graham's benediction: "And may the Lord bless you real good."
Do not feel bad when you hear the broadcaster say he feels badly. Just remember that ail men are created equally. When the friendly emeee shyly confides to his millions of listeners that he feels nauseous, do not misinterpret this as self-criticism. Applaud the Televenglish teacher who reit- erates that Ford Is America's Winningest Car, who de- scribes gorilla warfare and who reports that so-and-so flew into Chicago today.
From here on we should accept with equanimity the Levelese law by which the originally jocular becomes the universally mandatory. Thus, always say Longtime no sec. How's about a drink? He's srared but good. Those kind of-people are high-type fellas, just like you and I, and you can say that again.
Some time ago. on a TV show dealing with words, I was properly taken to task by a distinguished professor of Eng- lish because i objected to the rate at which rounds were being dropped from the language, fie informed me that such snobbish purism had :io basis in logic. To be consistent, for instance, i should pronounce gossamer :.•> goose sum- mer. of which the vvord is a contraction
i accepted the rebuke, both io my scholarship and ;o iny character Hereafter 1 shall speak Televenglish. If I wish ;o be helpful 1 shall be kwope.tive. Traveling by air will
t
I Know Whatcha Mean 141
become fling; the state of being safe will become scurty (u as in cure). And, as more and more New Yorkers ax- change the distasteful you will in favor of the elegant yizzle (yizzle have to see Radio City), I shall follow their lead.
One of my correspondents, Miss Esther L. Johnson, sends me a paragraph lifted from an editorial comment in an old Youth's Companion, dated March 1, 1923. It reads;
There are several engaging thoughts as to what the outcome of the widespread use of radio will be. Not the least pleasing of them is the idea that thousands of boys and girls will listen for an hour or more a day to a fair sort of spoken English, clearly enunciated. • Youth is quick and imitative. Let us hope that on the waves of the ether may come lessons that will enlarge • our vocabulary and improve our pronunciation.
How pleasant for Miss Johnson and for us all that it has taken only 40 years for this pious hope to become a shining reality.
IT PAYS T O ENRICH YOUR W O R D POWER®
A good headline is the ultimate condensation—giving you the essence of a news report at a glance. The key words in the fol- lowing test have been taken from newspaper headlines. Check the word or phrase you believe is nearest in meaning to the key word. The correct answers appear at the end of this test.
1. flex (fleks)—A: to separate. B: flip. C: bend. D: relax. 2. insurgent (in sur' jent)—A: rebel. B: eccentric. C: emi-
grant. D: spy.
3. rift—A: ridge. B: tide. C: turmoil. D: split.
4. medley (m£d' le)—A. mediocrity. B: hodgepodge. C: mys- tery. D: smoothness.
5. impropriety (im pro pri' £ te)—A: improper conduct. B: candor. C: thoughtlessness. D: poverty.
6. quandary (kwon' da re)—A: state of uncertainty. B: large constellation. C: rambling discourse. D: a measurement. 7. purge (purj)—A: to submerge. B: thrust. C: cleanse. D:
swirl.
8. bewail (be wal')—A: to scourge. B: besmirch. C accuse. D: iament.
9. renege (re nig')—A: to snub. B: go back on your word. C: dominate. D: renegotiate.
10. scrutinize (skroo' U nlz)—A. to scrub thoroughly. B: join tightly C. examine carefully. D: ignore.
11. relic (rfil' Ik)—A: talisman. B: rarity. C: common item. D: historic object.
12. perky (per' ke)—A: pretty. B: smart. C: spirited. D: hu- morous.
13. defector (dc fek' tor)-—One who A: destroys. B: deserts C: advocates. D: deprograms.
Word Power
No. 14
Headliners—News in a Nutshell BY PETER FUNK 142Word Power Test No. I I 143
14. plebeian (pie be' an)—A: hermit. B: bigot. C: aristocrat. D: common man.
15. monitor (m6n' T tor)—One who A: scolds. B: warns. C: maintains. D: patrols.
16. composite (k6m p6z' it)—A: compound. B: fake. C: solid. D: helical.
17. scenario (se ner' e 6)—A: lasso. B: panorama. C: diorama. D: synopsis of a play.
18. beguile (be gll')—A: to confuse. B: envy. C: charm. D: paralyze.
19. rivet (riv' it)—A: to fasten firmly. B: tear apart. C: be curious about. D: complete.
20. remedial (re me' de ul)—Pertaining to A: averaging. B: recycling. C: remedying. D: speeding.
ANSWERS
1. flex—C: Bend or tighten. Latin flectere (to bend). "Con- gress Will Flex its Foreign Policy Muscle."
2. insurgent—-A: Rebel; one who revolts against authority. Latin insurgens (rising up against). "Union Insurgent Put Down by Meany."
3. rift—D: Split; break in friendly relations. Of Scandinavian origin. "New Wealth Brings Marital Rift."
4. medley—B: Hodgepodge; mixture of unrelated items. Old French meslee (mixed). "Jazz Festival Produces a Medley of Sound."
5. impropriety—A. Improper conduct; unsuitable remark. Latin improprius (improper). "Improprieties Suspected at Bridge Tournaments."
6. quandary—A: State of uncertainty or doubt. Perhaps a contraction of Latin quando dare (when to give). "Moscow Book Fair Poses Quandary' for U.S. Publishing Houses " 7. purge—C: To cleanse; expel. Latin purgare. "Chinese
Purge Radical Group of Four.''
8. bewail—D: To lament; cry or complain. Middle English
biwailen. "Consumers Bewail Rising Prices."
9. renege—B: To go back on your word, repudiate Latin
renegare (to deny again). "TV Star Charges Network Re-
neged on Vow."