how to escalate a problem

[Jonathan Lighter]

Escalators are more modern.  Get hep, Mullins !

JL

"Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Mullins, Bill"
Subject: Re: how to escalate a problem
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Escalate is new to me. I've been "elevating" issues, problems, etc, for
years.


> Orion Montoya wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Orion Montoya
> Subject: Re: how to escalate a problem
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------------
>
> > It might just be a metaphor, not an error.
>
> It's pretty well-established tech support jargon, going back
> to at least 1984 in usenet: ("escalate * problem" and
> "escalate * issue")
>
> net.decus - Jul 5 1984, 1:55 pm by r... at lanl-a.UUCP I have
> ordered a DEC Rainbow 100+, and am having trouble getting it.
> Is there anyone out there (preferably from DEC) who can tell
> me who to write to or call for help? The DEC sales offices
> that I have talked to are of little help, and I was told in a
> DECUS meeting long ago (by DEC field service) that, if you
> cannot get satisfaction, then escalate.
>
> net.followup - Feb 1 1985, 3:30 pm by Ron Natalie Digital
> Equipment Service(DEC): Is it as bad elsewhere?
> ... Secondly, DEC seems to be slow to escalate the problem if
> a solution is not readily apparent to the personnel on site. ..
>
> comp.windows.x - Feb 16 1990, 6:56 am by David Chinn strange
> support of OSF/Motif ... One may report bugs without a
> support contract of any type. ...
> Additionally,
> this service gives you the right to escalate an issue. ...
>
> Contemporary usenet hits also escalate issues in the usual
> non-jargon sense.
>
> I don't think this is enough evidence to say that it
> originated as DEC-specific jargon, but that might be worth
> investigating. It's amusing that most of the early results
> are really discussing non-escalation of support issues -- I
> guess, like other things, you only notice support escalation
> when you're not getting any.
>
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