BOX UNDER THE BUS? OOPS!

Language Junkies Admit Decades Old Mix-Up In Cultural Cliches

() Disassociated Press

by B. Elwin Sherman -- Communications Adjunct

NEW YORK, NY -- (DP) In a shocking development that many fear will change the meaning of language, or as one humorist wordsmith so aptly called it, "the language of meaning," the LOL (Legion Of Lexicologists) announced at their annual convention today that two phrases now entrenched in our common usage have been wrongly used for decades.

"We feel terrible about this," said Aaron Aabacus, the first speaker (as usual) at LOL's bookish proceedings. Mr. Aabacus then admitted that the Legion had isolated the original perpetrator of the reckless permutation: a once copy editor at Fox News now turned broadcaster "who knows who he is."

He explained: "It's 'thrown under the box' and 'thinking outside the bus', not the other way around. You can imagine how sick we are about this."

Mr. Aabacus then called it "an etymologist's worst nightmare," worse than the infamous triple double-negative Truman debacle, referring, of course, to the oft-quoted but ill-applied phrase used to define President Harry Truman's role in atomic history: "He wasn't the one who didn't decide not to drop the bomb."

"Thrown under the box," added Mr. Aabacus, "is obviously far worse than being thrown under the bus. A box doesn't move. Once you're under it, you're there to stay, and there's always a chance that a bus could miss your vital organs. And, anyone who has ever tried to think while riding a bus knows that nothing good ever came of it. What a mess."

There were whispers outside the convention hall about an attempt to finally replace "security guard" with "insecurity guard," but this reporter could not find a LOL member to go on the record.

Stay tuned.

Comments

[BZ]

Well, at the risk of following along with the unthinkable permutations, I can honestly say this was hysterical, as in funny, not crying, pulling hair, and screaming uncontrollably. Just plain FUN-EEEE!

BZ

[B. ELWIN SHERMAN]

BZ:

Thanks for your comment.

And, I've checked back with the Legion Of Lexicologists: There are five "E's" in "FUNEEEEE."

All best,
El

[gooArley]

Always funny as hell.....