to vet

Larry Sheldon LarrySheldon at COX.NET
Mon Mar 12 21:17:52 UTC 2012


On 3/12/2012 3:37 PM, 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: to vet
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> It's popular because its short and can replace many longer phrases.
>
> Sarah Palin says that President Obama wasn't properly "vetted" by the DNC
> in 2008.
>
> "Investigated"? "Evaluated"? "Questioned"? "Interviewed in depth"? "Asked
> if he could name the head of the British government or locate Germany on a
> world map?"
>
> "Vet" covers all and more.

This thread enables my understanding for the first time ever.  And it
now makes sense--in lots of the world, the "vet" is responsible for
keeping and certifying the work and farm animals as "fit for service".

--
Requiescas in pace o email           Two identifying characteristics
                                         of System Administrators:
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio      Infallibility, and the ability to
                                         learn from their mistakes.
ICBM Data:  http://g.co/maps/e5gmy        (Adapted from Stephen Pinker)

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