"atmospheric," n.

[Dan Goncharoff]

Thanks for clearing up the context.

I am still not sure whether anyone thinks this single poll is
"important", even if it is a "pretty good indicator", this far in
advance of the election. Just how important does an atmospheric have to
be to be "important"?

DanG

On 6/28/2010 9:14 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter<wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "atmospheric," n.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Here's a presumably accurate transcript of the entire quote from Candy
> Crowley:
>
> http://newamericatoday.com/na/2010/06/062710-cnn-state-of-the-union-transcript.html
>    :
>
> I know pollsters, and certainly we at CNN have always looked at the right
> track, wrong track poll, as a pretty good indicator of how an election is
> going to go. And here's the NBC/"Wall Street Journal" right track/wrong
> track. Right direction, 29 percent, wrong track, 62 percent. That's not the
> best atmospheric for Democrats.
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 6:18 PM, Dan Goncharoff<thegonch at gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff<thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: "atmospheric," n.
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Am I right to assume that "...the single poll number is probably *not*
>> important by itself..." was intended?
>>
>> I like the word "atmospherics". It suggests the temporary and ethereal
>> character of many of the factors that create the political environment
>> at a point in time, while leaving the possibility that they can
>> contribute to a longer term political climate.
>>
>> DanG
>>
>> On 6/27/2010 5:10 PM, Dave Wilton wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>
>> -----------------------
>>
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Dave Wilton<dave at WILTON.NET>
>>> Subject:      Re: "atmospheric," n.
>>>
>>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>> Normally you see it in the plural, "atmospherics." It is actually quite
>>> common in marketing and political circles, and I'm surprised that
>>> dictionaries haven't picked it up.
>>>
>>> Atmospherics are the general ambience, mood, and background that
>>>
>> influence
>>
>>> opinion. So Crowley is saying that the single poll number is probably
>>> important by itself, but it will be one of many factors contributing to a
>>> negative opinion of the Democrats.
>>>
>>> See:
>>>
>>> "Atmospherics [...] elements of store's ambience, which can be studied
>>>
>> and
>>
>>> controlled by a retailer to influence  the consumer's buying mood."
>>> http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/atmospherics.html
>>>
>>> "I've always wanted to get a feel for the physical and psychic landscape
>>>
>> of
>>
>>> the time [...] in other words, the "atmospherics" of a situation.
>>> http://www.jonhassell.com/atmosindex.html
>>>
>>> "Ads and Atmospherics. Outdoor campaigns are suddenly hip."
>>> http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070201/salesmarketing-advertising.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
>>>
>> Of
>>
>>> Douglas G. Wilson
>>> Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:09 AM
>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>> Subject: Re: "atmospheric," n.
>>>
>>> Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> ....
>>>> "An element in the climate of political opinion."
>>>>
>>>> CNN's Cindy Crowley this morning referred to a poll number that was "not
>>>>
>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>
>>>> sort of atmospheric that Democrats like." (A close paraphrase.)
>>>>
>>>> Cf., of course, "statistic."
>>>>
>>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> I suspect maybe "atmospheric" might be an error for "stratospheric [poll
>>> number]" meaning "very high [poll number]".
>>>
>>> -- Doug Wilson
>>>
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>>>
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>
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> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
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