another query (re catch phrases)

[Jonathan Lighter]

On TV news "reach out to" seems to be the preferred synonym for "(attempt
to) contact." The network, being fair and caring, "reaches out," especially
to persons already on the defensive, because (unless I'm being ha-ha too
cynical) such persons are likely to make themselves look worse by saying
more. And if they somehow vindicate themselves on the air, it's a scoop!

Obviously, rival news sources are never described as "reaching out" to
anybody.  That would be ridiculous!

Somewhat similarly, "catch up with" means "succeed in interviewing
(somebody you should think is really interesting)."

"That's how I roll," which I've known for only a couple of years, means
something like, "That's just how I do things, being the kind of
irreproachable person I am."

"You know how I roll" is more or less the same thing. I mentioned it here as
a novelty late in 2006.

JL




On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 11:28 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: another query (re catch phrases)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Here is a businesslike letter from Gilbert G. Gallegos, National
> President of the Fraternal Order of Police, to Congressman Tom Udall
> that appeared in the Congressional Record in 1999.
>
> Cite, June 9 1999, Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, Page
> 12300, United States Government Printing Office.
>
> Dear Congressman Udall, I am writing on behalf of the 277,000 member
> of the National Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our strong
> support of legislation you intend to introduce in the House of
> Representatives today.
> ...
>
> I salute your leadership on this issue and want to thank you for
> reaching out to the Fraternal Order of Police on this issue. If there
> is anything we can do to help move this legislation, please do not
> hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco throught my
> Washington office.
>
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=SmwXC0nU2pYC&q=%22for+reaching%22#v=snippet&
>
> Instead of using "me" the President, Gallegos, uses the name of his
> organization.
>
> On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 10:15 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> wrote:
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: another query (re catch phrases)
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Neither the "pulling strings" or "comforting" seems to me to be the same
> > as using "reaching out" as the verb form of the older concept of
> > "outreach", which has a long-established meaning in the business world
> > -- making contact with clients or potential clients.
> >
> > DanG
> >
> > On 6/17/2010 8:15 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
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> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Laurence Horn<laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: another query (re catch phrases)
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> At 5:55 PM -0400 6/17/10, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >>
> >>> I don't get out much, anymore. So, the language may very well have
> >>> evolved in ways that I'm unaware of, but, IAC, I find it hard to
> >>> imagine using either of these in business correspondence.
> >>>
> >>> I'm familiar with _reach out to_ only from TV-cop-show jargon, wherein
> >>> it's always used WRT string-pulling. The cops "reach out to" their
> >>> police-academy classmates and former partners who have transferred
> >>> out,  been promoted, have retired, or whoever in order to have a favor
> >>> done.
> >>> "I was going to have Smith transferred back to walking a beat, but he
> >>> reached out to the assistant chief, an academy buddy of his dad."
> >>>
> >>>
> >> Right, I'm familiar with that too from the same type of sources, but
> >> I've never thought of reaching out to in that sense--pulling strings,
> >> as you say, or using the old blue network, whatever--as being closely
> >> related to the reaching out in the sense of comforting (with the
> >> implication of emotional energy involved, going out on a limb, etc.)
> >> that we have in the "thank you for reaching out" formula.  The latter
> >> strikes me as a bit treacly (if it's not purely formulaic), the way
> >> "thank you for sharing" became before it became virtually unusable
> >> without intended sarcasm.
> >>
> >> LH
> >>
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