"Silver Tsunami" (first "boomer" files for Social Security)

Benjamin Barrett gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM
Wed Oct 17 02:49:15 UTC 2007


No objection here if you call it a pseudo-tidal wave, then. But the tide
doesn't roar onto shores, destroying objects and creatures in the path.
If you want to eliminate all the words with sounds that are unfriendly
to AmE, you have a long way to go. (Psychology, gnu, knight, tse-tse...) BB

Tom Zurinskas wrote:
> I'm showing my age as well.  It was always "tidal wave" years ago.  Who knew the cause.  I suppose there could be several causes - asteroid splash? volcano?  gas bubble?  Interestingly, it does act like a tide, because the ocean wells up like a tide for many waves before receding.  I don't think it's so bad a term as to replace it with a word that begins with a silent letter that's not even phonetically American English friendly.
>

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