Coming to Grips With the Fact We’re ‘Shovel-Ready’
I love words. After all, I’m a writer. I also love how words evolve, develop, and are born.
That’s why I’m fascinated by things like Lake Superior University’s annual list of words they believe should be banned from everyday use. The school recently released its 35th annual list, and as you might imagine, the list contains some deserving choices. At the top of the list was the phrase “shovel-ready.”
The term refers to infrastructure projects that are ready to break ground and has been popularly used to describe road, bridge, and other construction projects fueled by stimulus funds from President Barack Obama’s administration.
But when you really think about it, that word could describe people, too. After all, we’re going to die one day. That makes us all “shovel-ready,” doesn’t it?
“Hey, Frank. I hear that Marco isn’t doing so hot these days.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s in the intensive care unit now. It don’t look too good.”
“He’s pretty much shovel-ready, ain’t he?”
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Think About This:
“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands, and goes to work.”
Carl Sanburg, American writer, editor, and poet (1878-1967)
