Deadline
Brad asked about the
origin of deadline. Today it refers to a time limit, especially a time by which
an article or a manuscript or a project of any kind has to be submitted for
publication or completion.
The origin of the word
is rather gruesome. It was developed by the military during the American Civil
War. It was the line marked around a military prison. If a prisoner crossed
that line in an attempt to escape, he would be shot dead.
The word dead doesn’t
always mean deprived of life. Referring to food or drink, it can mean insipid
and devoid of taste. It can also mean muffled in reference to sound, and dull
in reference to color.
It also means utterly,
profoundly, and completely. Think of dead stop, dead calm, dead asleep, dead
tired, dead silence, dead broke, dead certain, dead wrong, and dead center.
Listen
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Now. You’ll also find about a month’s worth of podcasts there under The Ron Jolly Show.
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