Short take: penguin, information

[victor steinbok]

No, no! I was not looking at the difference between Swift and
Mamet--quite to the contrary, I think the usage is the same. But it is
different from the other examples in the OED under the allegedly the
same meaning.

I agree that, in principle, suits are important. But you're assuming
that the "suit types" in charge of the creative aspects at the
studios/networks actually wear suits. Perhaps they do, perhaps not.
But the issue remains the same--the reference is to a supposedly
ignorant, stiff individuals, likely men.

 VS-)

> On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 2:17 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Two comments:
>>
>> I think the suits are important. In an environment of artist-types, the
>> executives wearing suits and ties don't just behave differently, they
>> look different, and "penguins" is a useful description encompassing
>> behavior and look.
>>
>> As for the difference, if any, between Swift and Mamet, isn't Swift
>> dealing with a book, whereas Mamet is talking about a dramatic TV show
>> 42 minutes long? Different media require different amounts of
>> information. I would suggest that even Mamet's approach would include
>> too much information for most poetry.
>>
>> DanG
>

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