"optic" = seeming "narrative" PLUS "Wall Street"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 2:45 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Without seeing/hearing the actual text, it's a bit hard to judge, but
> "optics" is well attested as a reference for underlying behavior that
> "looks bad"--or, more generally, /how/ it looks, hence "optics". So, the
> "optics" of a bill are the circumstances that make it appear more or
> less acceptable to the public/media. And it has been covered here before.

And here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07FOB-onlanguage-t.html


--Ben Zimmer

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