Apprise me of the Appraisal


Recently, I’ve been pigging out on reruns of The Artful Detective, a detective series set in 19th century Toronto. In one episode, Detective Murdoch is sternly admonished by the Superintendent to “keep me appraised of developments." Unfortunately, bad word choice.

To appraise is to examine something in order to give an estimate of its value. It is a calculation of its worth or quality, often before selling it or putting it up for auction.  It tracks back to the Anglo-French appraiser. In turn that came from the Latin a-/ad- plus presser, to prize.

To apprise is to impart knowledge or information to someone. It may involve formal notification or an informal passing on of information. Apprise comes from the
French appris, the past participle of apprendre, to learn.

Words to the Wise, Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JSC9GX8

Listen to Mike’s program in real time every Tuesday morning, 9:10 - 10:00 a.m. EST, by going to wtcmradio.com and clicking on Listen Now. You’ll also find about a month’s worth of podcasts there under The Ron Jolly Show.





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