'Pushing Back'

[Marc Velasco]

When last I worked in a policy-setting, ´push back´ was a so common as to be
cliche, useful cliche, but cliche nonetheless.

On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 5:35 AM, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

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> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: 'Pushing Back'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> It's a different idiom, but back in the 1970s college administrators often
> spoke of "pushing back the frontiers of knowledge." Which always seemed
> backwards; shouldn't the academic mission be to push FORWARD those
> frontiers?
>
> I just Googled "push back the frontiers"--and the first hit (of 26,100)
> shows "push back the frontiers of IGNORANCE"!
>
> --Charlie
> _____________________________________________________________
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:49:48 -0400
> >From: Doug Harris <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
> >Subject: Re: 'Pushing Back'
> >
> >I'm sure some of you have noticed the new catch-phrase "pushing back" and
> variations on same. I never cease to be amazed how quickly this type of
> thing (think 'paradigm') move into then out of favor. 'Could be described,
> I'd imagine, as 'evolving language usage on steroids.'
> >
> >One 'pushing back' example, from today's LA Times headlines e-mail:
>
> >A battle over 'the next war'
>
> >By Julian E. Barnes and Peter Spiegel
>
> >Many military officers are pushing back against Defense Secretary Gates'
> focus on preparing for more 'asymmetric' fighting rather than for a large,
> conventional conflict.
> >
> >dh
>
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