The current obsession with "Gone Missing"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Robert Hartwell Fiske <Vocabula at aol.com> wrote: "It appeals to people who
apparently cannot bother with expressing themselves carefully or clearly."

The phrase also appeals to me, and I'm not one of those people.

I think its merrymaking in the media is due largely to the factors
I've indicated; these may be subsumed under the command: "Be bright,
stylish, catchy!"  another slogan by which the Devil drives his minions.

In light of that imperative, look at RHF's second ex.:

"In heavily Democratic Fulton County, in downtown Atlanta, 67 memory cards
from the voting machines went missing, delaying certification of the
results there."

RHF advises to "use misplace," but RHF will never be paid a king's ransom
for delivering news on TV.  The point is, when news breaks, nobody on TV
knows if the cards were "misplaced," "stolen," or "something far more
sinister."  When it is later determined that someone had
innocently misplaced them in a bottom drawer, for example, it's still
important to use "gone missing" to suggest to those who haven't been
following the story that they'd better listen up: it could be mysterious and
exciting!

If that can be true of memory cards, how much more true of an asteroid!  Did
pointy-headed astronomers with thick glasses lose track of it?  If so, what
a joke on them!  Or was the occurrence supernatural or something far more
sinister? If so, you'd better listen up! Because tThe answer may surprise
you!

I can only speak for myself, but when *I* use "gone missing," it means
precisely what I want it to mean, no more - and certainly no less.

JL

On Sun, Jun 7, 2009 at 4:39 PM, Robert Hartwell Fiske <Vocabula at aol.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Robert Hartwell Fiske <Vocabula at AOL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: The current obsession with "Gone Missing"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Gone" or "went missing" is, today, increasily heard and read (even the
> oleaginous among you should agree to this). More to the point, this idiom,
> like
> so many others, is -- and this was, or was meant to be, my main point --
> not an exacting expression. It appeals to people who apparently cannot
> bother
> with expressing themselves carefully or clearly.
>
>
>
> * The boy went missing Monday, the day after his birthday. USE disappeared.
>
> * In heavily Democratic Fulton County, in downtown Atlanta, 67 memory cards
> from the voting machines went missing, delaying certification of the
> results there. USE were misplaced.
> * When a $250,000 boat went missing while docked at the foot of Grand
> Street in Alameda, police seemed lost at sea. USE was stolen.
> * A large and potentially hazardous asteroid that went missing for almost
> 66 years ago was re-discovered by astronomers on Wednesday morning. USE was
> lost.
> *  Fifteen people aboard the ship reportedly went missing. USE were
> missing.
> * Many went missing after joining the militant groups, while others
> disappeared after being picked up by security forces for questioning. USE
> deserted.
>
> *  The prisoner went missing around lunchtime, but prison staff did not
> notice his absence until early evening. USE absconded.
> * She's a grown woman, and reasonable people can and should understand
> that, if they are going to go missing, they are going to cause public
> outcry.
> USE disappear.
>
>
> From the Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske
>
>
> Robert Hartwell Fiske
> Editor and Publisher
> The Vocabula Review
> _http://www.vocabula.com/_ (http://www.vocabula.com/)
>
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> _http://www.vocabulabooks.com/_ (http://www.vocabulabooks.com/)
>
>
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