Checkmating -- Is This Usage Exceptional?

[Wilson Gray]

I never heard anything like this use of "checkmate" in my day. But
that was fifty years ago. In those days, I would have been even more
stunned to hear terms like "cultural norms" and "if you will" from the
mouth of anyone serving in a combat arm of the military, whether
officer or EM. A far greater number of military human resources played
chess than read books with terms like "cultural norms" in them or
listened to lectures by people who used phrases like "if you will,"
back then.

FWIW, I think that the major just pulled that use out of his ass on
the spur of the moment.

-Wilson

On 4/3/07, Doug Harris <cats22 at frontiernet.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Doug Harris <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
> Subject:      Checkmating -- Is This Usage Exceptional?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A caption in Monday NYT:
>
> Soldiers grieved together after the memorial service for Sergeant Sebban. In
> the military, "cultural norms, if you will, checkmate a lot of guys from
> healthy grieving," said Major Fenton. "One of the jobs I have is to give
> them permission to do that."
>
> ----
> His meaning is obvious, but the usage struck me as a bit odd. Is this,
> perhaps, simply a military-speak coinage with which I am unfamiliar?
>
> (the other) doug
>
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