semantic shift: "fighter jet"

[Jonathan Lighter]

During the observation of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Fox News reported that a flight of "World War II fighter jets" was being featured. "Here come the fighter jets!" exclaimed Fox correspondent A.C.as a handful of piston-engined Spitfires escorted a four-engined Lancaster bomber across the sky.  I chuckled to myself.

  Just now, however, Fox correspondent M. K. has referred twice to the resumption of Russian bomber flights right up to the borders of the U.S. and Britain as involving "fighter jets."

  So in popular usage, "fighter jet" seems to be shifting its meaning to "armed combat aircraft of any kind."  This shift results from ignorance, but it is a semantic shift nonetheless.

  JL





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