Campaign to add "concept" as a verb in M-W

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 4/25/06, James Callan <james.callan at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> The blog driving the campaign: http://verb4concept.blogspot.com/
>
> The petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/Verb4C/petition.html
>
> The petition's text:
> This petition is to be used as a vehicle to lend help and support towards
> the Verb4Concept movement. Set in motion by copywriter Ray DelSavio,
> the goal of this movement is to get Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(r) Dictionary
> to acknowledge and add to it's annual, the verb form of CONCEPT. By doing
> so the "Great Book" will more accurately reflect the vast usage of the word
> in various creative arenas as well as offer recognition to what, as creatives,
> we do on a daily basis.
[...]
> ONE PROPOSED DEFINITION ADDITION:
>
> to con·cept (knspt) - con·cepted (knspt-ed) - con·cept-ing (knspt-ing)
> v.
> 1. A process whereby ideas are generated for the purpose of creatively solving
> a problem: "The team set aside some time for concepting in order to flush out
> some plausible directions."

So, in addition to concepting pointless dictionary petitions,
creatives are also busy concepting eggcorns...

http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/english/349/flush/


--Ben Zimmer

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