[Ads-l] New (to me) negative polarity item--"(not) have the bandwidth" as metaphor

[Geoffrey Steven Nathan]

I can report that, while living in the midst of the technical IT world I have heard this term for at least a couple of years in the metaphorical sense, and it is used completely unself-consciously.


Also used is the related metaphor of being able to 'spare a few cycles' to help with some project (in the sense of computer operations as measured in cycles per second (actually, these days, usually Giga-cycles per second). Sometimes also 'sorry, I can't help--I don't have the cycles available'. Don't have actual cites at this point.


Geoff


Geoffrey S. Nathan
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________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2016 1:12 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: New (to me) negative polarity item--"(not) have the bandwidth" as metaphor

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
Subject:      New (to me) negative polarity item--"(not) have the bandwidth" as
              metaphor
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Here's urban dictionary:

BANDWIDTH
ability (or lack of ability) to complete work given the available =
resources (people, time, money, etc.)

Since we can't afford to replace the guy who just quit, our department =
doesn't have enough bandwidth to take on new projects right now.=20

Joe's so overworked, he doesn't even have the bandwidth to train his new =
assistant.

#work #time #ability #capacity #workload
by amphora October 25, 2006

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
My daughter (age 31) just used it in referring to a friend who, given =
her 12-hour shifts at her new nursing job, "doesn't have the bandwidth" =
for various other things.  Not being 31 (and not having a boyfriend at =
Google), I'd never encountered metaphorical bandwidth before.  I haven't =
checked "Among The New Words", which probably has a relevant decade-old =
entry. =20

LH=

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