Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Reprise the reprisal
The other day at work I submitted an article for the departmental online daily news bulletin. Okay, I dashed it off in a bit of a hurry, otherwise I probably wouldn't have used a word like "reprise" - as "in a reprise of the role they played". Yes, it's a trifle archaic, so shoot me!
Lowly public servant and wordsmith that I am, my humble submission was edited by the clearly superior, more highly placed and paid web editors in Canberra (seat of all government knowledge and power)and appeared online the next day altered to read "in a reprisal of their role."
"That doesn't look right to me," thinks your humble servant..."shit, I must have used the wrong word (after all highly paid editors must know better than I, I think, in my usual excess of self-doubt)."
So I consult my trusty dictionary. Lo and behold, "reprise" appears to mean: "repeat action: to repeat an action or performance", while "reprisal" on the other hand has quite a different meaning: "Retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return. The practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war".
Well done, you oh so superior, highly paid editors who constantly crop, chop and change my work then publish it with my byline - this was a particularly entertaining blooper in view of the fact that the "role" under discussion was facilitating aid to a combat zone!!!
Whoops...didn't like the way they treated us last time we tried to help get food to them when they were having a war - let's make sure we effect a reprisal this time - what? poisoned porridge maybe?
Hmmm... now "effect" I'm not at all sure about - should it be "affect" oh editors from hell?
Lowly public servant and wordsmith that I am, my humble submission was edited by the clearly superior, more highly placed and paid web editors in Canberra (seat of all government knowledge and power)and appeared online the next day altered to read "in a reprisal of their role."
"That doesn't look right to me," thinks your humble servant..."shit, I must have used the wrong word (after all highly paid editors must know better than I, I think, in my usual excess of self-doubt)."
So I consult my trusty dictionary. Lo and behold, "reprise" appears to mean: "repeat action: to repeat an action or performance", while "reprisal" on the other hand has quite a different meaning: "Retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return. The practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war".
Well done, you oh so superior, highly paid editors who constantly crop, chop and change my work then publish it with my byline - this was a particularly entertaining blooper in view of the fact that the "role" under discussion was facilitating aid to a combat zone!!!
Whoops...didn't like the way they treated us last time we tried to help get food to them when they were having a war - let's make sure we effect a reprisal this time - what? poisoned porridge maybe?
Hmmm... now "effect" I'm not at all sure about - should it be "affect" oh editors from hell?
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