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Say it isn't so?

Posted by Bob on October 18, 2004

In Reply to: Say it isn't so? posted by Word Camel on October 18, 2004

: : : A friend from the UK just brought me a newspaper clipping that says "Bedlam", "nitpicking" and "brainstorm" among others) have been outlawed in in goverment work places because they might offend someone?

: : Weird. Bedlam I can understand. But I don't see how nitpicking and brainstorm could offend anyone.

: "Nitpicking" because it supposedly refers to the nits in the hair of slaves (a variation on th edubious nitty gritty theme), and "brainstorm" because it might offend mentally ill people.

: All this would be terrible not least because it is necessary to have access to the term "bedlam" when dealing with the UK civil service.

: I'm also wondering whether, if someone were seriously mentally ill, whether there might be many other words one would find offensive - like "door knob" or "egg whisk" or "mustache"?

I'm deeply offended that you said do*r kn*b, and I may sue. But "brainstorm"? Perhaps they thought it was "bra in storm," meaning rained-upon undergarments. Eh? Potentially offensive?

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