"Pedestrian is one of those words that conceals what's it's talking about."

I can recall Jeff Gillenwater and I having this conversation perhaps ten years ago, and my subsequent resolution to stop using the word "pedestrian" in favor of calling walkers exactly what they are -- walkers.

It's a variation of the inanity in which we refer to cars hitting pedestrians, not drivers hitting walkers, or two airplanes having a "near miss" when in fact, it was a "near hit."

Language matters, and seeing as one out of a hundred planners, politicians, campaign donors and automobile supremacists actually read (they're too busy driving, aren't they?), the extent of the conceptual difficulty becomes clear.

Why I'm Not a Pedestrian, by Scott Ogilvie

There's kind of an old idea here—the idea that streets are not just for transportation. The idea is that streets are public space.

This was once a perfectly obvious idea. All kinds of life happened on the street that had little to do with transportation. The desire for a bustling street isn't just nostalgia, because the truth is great cities, great places to visit, are always still great places to walk. There's a shortage of great public spaces in this country, and it's often been observed that we'll travel to visit somewhere that is a great place to walk, but we don't always understand how to build those places where we already live.

A thousand years ago, the whole world was your sidewalk. But since the introduction of the car, the space we allow people to walk has narrowed, and narrowed, and narrowed. Walking used to be natural, and essential everywhere—but we invented new rules and customs that moved people out of the way so cars could move faster. We’ve put walking in a smaller and smaller box. We call it “alternative transportation” we “accommodate bikes and peds” In short, we put walking on the margins, rather than at the center of what we do.

Even the word pedestrian—which is a common word, one I use a lot, but am trying to use less. Where does that word come from? Before anyone used that word to describe someone walking, pedestrian meant dull, lacking wit and imagination, ordinary. No one used the word pedestrian to mean a person traveling until the emergence of a related word, equestrian. To go by horse. And then along came the word pedestrian, to go by foot, as its counterpart. But who went by horse in cities? The wealthy and powerful went by horse, while the rest of us, the pedestrians, went by foot. The equestrian was pulled by an expensive four-legged vehicle that needed to be fueled and stored and maintained, while the pedestrian made due with their feet. Sounds a little familiar doesn't it?

So perhaps we should retire the word pedestrian if we want to elevate our ideas about walking. Pedestrian is one of those words that conceals what's it's talking about. No one of us ever says, “Look at those small pedestrians trick or treating.” Of course we use normal words like children, walk the dog, walk to the park, and so on. Yet in transportation-speak, you walk out your door, and you've suddenly been transformed into a pedestrian ...

A Sunday morning ON THE AVENUES encore: "Upscale residency at down-low prices."

The ON THE AVENUES column from 2015 reprinted here came to mind as I was reading about grassroots initiatives in Akron.

In Akron: "City hall is listening to small businesses, neighborhood groups and outside experts."

Here in New Albany, "business of residency" was an upscale Gahanesque buzz phrases for roughly ten minutes during an election year, soon to be discarded by anchor tattoos and supplanted by the mayor's hostile takeover of public housing, or, "the business of non-residency," at least for those stubbornly resisting Dear Leader's vision of upscale living for those capable of regular campaign finance installments.

Nature abhors a moron ...
-- HL Mencken

... except in New Albany.
-- Roger A. Baylor

---

February 19, 2015

ON THE AVENUES: Upscale residency at down-low prices.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor.

“I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books."
– Kanye West, seeking a position in the New Albany economic development hierarchy

Previously in this space, we’ve examined the Gahan administration’s recurring vocabulary malfunction.

Who even knew that Dr. Pavlov had an office in the Elsby Building?

Obviously desperate to avoid revisiting uncomfortable days of yore in junior high, when the former Marine Corps drill instructor Mr. Buzzkilljoy required they memorize the precise meaning of words in the English language and regurgitate these definitions on demand, city officials in New Albany now delight in the deployment of banal and indeterminate code phrases suitable only for the approbation of the ever-eager stenographer cadre.

Quality of life, public safety and better access have been the most consistently overused of these meaningless bromides, and we await the inevitable resurrection of classic Orwellian gems of doublethink as local Democratic Party campaign slogans:

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
When You Wish Upon A Star/Makes No Difference Who You Are

Oops – sorry.

That last one obviously serves as the credo of the Redevelopment Commission, and any connection with the DemoDisneyDixiecrats is purely Dickeyensian.

---

Make a wish, blow out the candles, and welcome a new addition to the Gahan team’s tired lexicon.

Upscale.

Exactly what is meant by the word “upscale”? It might depend on one’s socioeconomic vantage point (rats, a penalty is assessed to me for using a seven syllable word within the city limits), but here is the dictionary’s point of view.

up•scale
ˌəpˈskāl/
adjective & adverb

NORTH AMERICAN

adjective: upscale; adverb: upscale

toward or relating to the more expensive or affluent sector of the market.

"Hawaii's upscale boutique hotels"

synonyms: deluxe, posh, ritzy, upper-class, classy, chi-chi; high-end, expensive, high-priced

Upscale is trending because just last week, in a grudgingly reluctant process akin to tapping maple trees and collecting sap, information about the proposed Coyle site development began seeping ever so slowly from City Hall’s propaganda directorate, located deep within the bowels of the Down Low Bunker.

But first, kindly note the irony.

Among other Gahan initiatives, some randomly sensible and others fully befitting the sort of vision generally experienced in the tuneless strumming of a Jimmy Buffett cover band, only the dormant-by-design Speck Downtown Street Network Plan both contextualizes and (perhaps, maybe, possibly) justifies the city’s involvement in the Coyle infill apartment project.

Naturally, while Gahan and his vacuous minions continue to treat the Speck proposals as though they were paper envelopes filled with free-range ricin, the announcement of “upscale” apartments was owned and groomed and feted by them like a Saudi sheik's first-born thoroughbred, proving yet again that they are the very worst civic actors in recent memory.

John Mattingly was positively Shakespearean by comparison ... or maybe it was Sicilian.

---

To reiterate, the major selling point of the Coyle site proposal thus far seems to rest on the undefined shoulders of that magic word.

Upscale.

The usage is intended to animate the extension of the pinky at a right angle from one’s grip of the ice-cold Bud Light longneck, to be wiggled while purring like a socialite:

“Not like those low-income housing credits, honey buns.”

Conceding that detailed plans haven’t yet found their way to NA Confidential, the problem is that early indicators like last week’s project drawings simply don’t speak to “upscale” at all, at least when the accepted meaning of words is respected. In fact, the proposed buildings don’t look appreciably different than ordinary blocks of middle class flats I’ve seen in dozens of European cities and more than a few American ones, too.

Regular reader W was specific.

When I think upscale, I think apartment balconies and patios should be deeper than the windows are wide. Just room enough for an 8" hibachi grill, maybe? The upscale apartment dwellers won't be able to sit in a lawn chair and enjoy the traffic zooming by on such a tiny sliver of concrete. That's quality of life?

Ah, but we’re still waiting on that particular definition, aren’t we?

The stacked, multi-story exterior staircases look deadly as well - "upscale" doesn't include secure elevators? Look at the end of the building, with the lovely, open air staircases.

"Hello, ‘upscale’ apartment tenant, climb the stairs with your bags of groceries that you had to drive somewhere to buy because there are no grocery stores near your ‘upscale’ apartments."

Oh, I know, all of these "upscale" tenants will eat out every night, because the tenants are just "better" - after all, they live in "upscale" apartments.

Walk up, multi-story flats aren't exactly upscale. Do you want people from the street to able to climb the stairs up to your front door and wait for you to come home when you're paying high end, "upscale" rent? What we're being told and what we're seeing doesn't add up.

Regrettably, math class posed its own grave difficulties, especially when all you wanted to do was go outside and play baseball.

The many differences between wishful-star-related thinking and hard reality also were sadly prominent the last time the city struck up a full-Sousa soundtrack and pledged fealty to a private, for-profit construction entity, this being Mainland’s ill-fated Riverview project, circa 2011-12.

Since then, there have been two major themes in what the mayor enjoys tidily euphemizing as “the business of residency” – and no, this phrase hasn’t been defined yet, either.

First, council creatures Bob Caesar and Kevin Zurschmiede would rather see a building collapse of its own neglect and/or grandiosely self-immolate than acquiesce in the consideration of low-income housing tax credits in its refurbishment.

Second, private developers like Matt Chalfant are pursuing living space rehabs without substantive financial incentivization based on a profit vs. loss instinct that looks disturbingly like capitalism.

What of City Hall's "business of residency"? Let’s go to Bluegill for the coda.

The only thing the Gahan/Duggins administration has proven particularly adept at so far is giving away massive amounts of public money to developers and corporations. This is just part and parcel.

If (developers) want to take on the risk and build within the existing rules that locals have to follow, they can build. We shouldn't be subsidizing them, especially given the many, more productive uses for local money. Honestly, we need to get over the whole upscale, raising property values gambit and all the trickle down approaches to it. You know who most cares if property values rise? People planning on taking money from the community and/or borrowing against it to go into more debt. It's just repeating the same cycle.

The only way to stop the concession extraction is to say no to concessions. Unfortunately, our current ED has spent his career doing little except for offering concessions. That's true, though, of the entire Democratic Party hereabouts. It's going to be especially funny if the Gahan administration tries to use a big handout as justification for better streets, making it about the developer rather than residents.

Is it time for an addition to A New Albanist’s Dictionary?*

Upscale
An imported construction project pursued with our own municipal funds, as opposed to state and federal low income housing tax credits, as standing in sharp contrast with the dilapidated condition of surrounding neighborhoods, which have been down so long that it looks like up to them.

Not that they'll ever read one.

---

* Volume One and Volume Two

I must have missed this meeting. Was it a unanimous vote?

The fine structure is a shade ambiguous ...

To “ride someone out of town on a rail” is a classic American locution dating back to the early 19th century. In its usual figurative use, “to ride someone out of town on a rail” means to severely punish them by means of ridicule or public condemnation and, optimally, to banish the person utterly from further serious consideration in whatever field they committed their offense ...

... “Running men out of town on a rail is at least as much an American tradition as declaring unalienable rights,” according to historian Gary Wills in “Inventing America” (1978), and the punishment does seem to have been a fairly common, and uniquely American, phenomenon until the early 20th century.

While the “rail” in the phrase might conjure up images of the disgraced malefactor being dispatched out of town via the nearest railroad track, the actual “rail” involved in literally “riding someone out of town” was usually the sort of rail used to construct fences, i.e., a long, often rough-hewn, bar of wood. The victim was usually seated astride the rail as one would ride a horse (a position which was, not surprisingly, very painful).

The rail and its rider were then borne by two men, usually part of a large mob, to the town limits, where the banishee was dumped in a ditch and warned not to return. The warning was often amplified by the application of hot tar and feathers to the rider, a punishment that was extremely painful, often permanently disfiguring, and occasionally fatal.

It's just another day, so what if I've no interest in being "blessed"?

I recently received an e-mail from a non-profit organization. It derives at least partial funding from local government.

The staff person closed with this:

"Have a Blessed Day!"

Verily, the chronic overuse of exclamation marks is bad enough. It makes me all judgmental and potty mouthed.

Restraint, damn it!

Damn it, Insider Louisville, an exclamation mark IS NOT NEEDED at the end of ALL sentences.

As for the desire to bless me and my days, let's begin at the beginning. As widely used in these parts, the "blessed" phrase obviously has specific religious roots, as rightfully asserted by the employer in this case.

In a Code of Ethics violation, US Bank states several customers had complained when Neace said the phrase, which has Christian connotations.

To me, the phrase "have a blessed day" is perfectly fine when uttered by someone on his or her own time, when I'm free to ignore such a usage (as is my grudging custom) or make the sort of snide comment you'd expect from the likes of me, which actually happens very seldom. Yes, I know they mean well. However, it's a diverse world out here, isn't it?

This may or may not be satire.

Local Woman Considers Saying ‘Have A Blessed Day’ Evangelism.

“Of course I’m sharing my faith when I say ‘Have a blessed day.’ It says ‘blessed’ right in there.”

Evangelizing on your own time is one thing, though I'd suggest making a better effort to know your audience.

Indulging while on the clock (as with the bank clerk), or in the process of conducting official business for a taxpayer-funded entity?

This strikes me as completely different, and ultimately indefensible.

Roughly ten years ago, I had official business at Floyd Memorial, and during the course of this appointment, the therapist paused from his duties to ask matter-of-factly whether I was square with Jesus.

Of course, I hadn't come to the hospital to study scripture (it wasn't part of my reality-based health plan), and I told him so. Maybe now that it's become Baptist Health Floyd, there's a Bible study component.

But seriously. Why did this even come up?

I support the separation of church and state, and my hunch is that neither the therapist's nor the staffer's superiors have considered these distinctions. They should. It's never about the shop floor, after all. It's about management and bosses who need to establish the proper tone, and maintain it.

If we're going to continue developing New Albany, can we do it for all of us, and not just one sect?

Let's give the Urban Dictionary a final blessed word.

Have a blessed day!

Black folks' code for "Fuck off, Honkey!"

That Cracker really pissed me off, so I told him to "Have a blessed day!"

#fuck off#go to hell#fuck you#screw you#drop dead

NAHA's board of cherry-picked and abjectly groveling sycophants assigns dictatorial duties to Irving Joshua.

Cappuccino wants it so bad he almost wet himself.

Wait -- it's not "dictatorial," is it? It's directorial. An easy mistake to make, here in New Gahania.

New Albany Housing Authority Board assigns directorial duties in absence of a director, by Danielle Grady (Make Alabama Pensioners Great Again)

Commissioners continue their search for interim replacement

NEW ALBANY — As the New Albany Housing Authority Board of Commissioners continues its search for an interim director, the board voted to assign a couple of duties normally taken care of by the executive director to the board president and a NAHA staff member.

At a special meeting on Tuesday night, the board unanimously voted in Irving Joshua, the president of the board, as an interim contracting officer, giving him the ability to sign documents for NAHA staff that NAHA’s executive director normally would have taken care of. Board member Bob Norwood did not vote as he was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.

Joshua said he was already signing documents for NAHA staff, but that the board wanted to make his duties official.

SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS: _________ .

Welcome to another installment of SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS, a regular Wednesday feature at NA Confidential.

But why all these newfangled words?

Why not the old, familiar, comforting words, like the ones you're sure to hear when asking the city's corporate attorney why the answers to my FOIA/public records request for Bicentennial commission finances, due to be handed over on July 8, still haven't arrived on November 9?

Bicentennial commission financial trail? What's two (yawn) weeks (shrug) after 463 days?

November 9 update: Make that 18 weeks since the FOIA record request's due date and 574 days since I asked Bullet Bob Caesar to tell us how many coffee table books were left unsold, and how much the city's 200-year "summer of love" fest actually cost us. It's with Indiana's public access counselor now, and a verdict is to be rendered no later than the first week of December, so perhaps "compliance" would be a word for future consideration. 

No, it's because a healthy vocabulary isn't about intimidation through erudition. Rather, it's about selecting the right word and using it correctly, whatever one's pay grade or station in life.

Even these very same iniquitous, paving-bond-slush-engorged municipal corporate attorneys who customarily are handsomely remunerated to suppress information can benefit from this enlightening expansion of personal horizons, and really, as we contemplate what they knew and when they knew it, all we have left is plenty of time -- and the opportunity to learn something, if we're so inclined.

Today, literally, we have no words.

"I have no words."

It can have different meanings. In this context seems it is closer to I am shocked and cannot find any words to console you or any words would only aggravate the situation, so I better not say anything. But generally, it can also express excitement, amusement, surprise, and many other feelings. Here are a couple of quotes I found:

"We have no words for speaking of wisdom to the stupid. He who understands the wise is wise already." - G.C. Lichtenberg

"I have no words for my reality." - Max Frisch

A diffident Dickey on the Democratic endorsement of two-way streets: "Our party supports this effort," just not OPENLY.

I asked ..

Since the Floyd County Democratic Party has endorsed a "yes" vote in the NAFC bond referendum, thus taking a position on a matter of importance, will we see an endorsement of HWC's Option B for two-way streets? I'd ask this question at the party's site, but -- well, you know. Thanks.

... and Adam Dickey legalistically answered, though to be sure, it's an improvement on previous non-answers from the local Democratic hierarchy.

In regard to your question, the study and plan has been pursued and advanced by our Democratic administration and elected officials and our party supports this effort. Our local platform supports complete streets and investment in our infrastructure and this plan is consistent with that plank.

At this time, I do not anticipate the central committee would adopt a separate resolution, but members are free to propose such an item at the next committee meeting.

SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS: These 10 definitions will help you speak local politics like a native.

Welcome to another installment of SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS, a regular Wednesday feature at NA Confidential.

But why all these newfangled words?

Why not the old, familiar, comforting words, like the ones you're sure to hear when asking the city's corporate attorney why the answers to my FOIA/public records request for Bicentennial commission finances, due to be handed over on July 8, still haven't arrived on August 17?

Bicentennial commission financial trail? What's two (yawn) weeks (shrug) after 463 days?

August 17 update: Make the 490 days since I asked Bob Caesar to tell us how many books were left unsold, and how much the city's 200-year fest cost.

It's because a healthy vocabulary isn't about intimidation through erudition. Rather, it's about selecting the right word and using it correctly, whatever one's pay grade or station in life.

Even these very same iniquitous, bond-slush-engorged municipal corporate attorneys who customarily are handsomely remunerated to suppress information can benefit from this enlightening expansion of personal horizons, and really, as we contemplate what they knew and when they knew it, all we have left is plenty of time -- and the opportunity to learn something, if we're so inclined.

Today's word isn't a word at all, but a series of concepts originally published at NAC on June 18, 2015. Subsequently, some of them have been explored for Shane's benefit in this column. There are 490 reasons to believe nothing has changed since then, so these definitions are to be regarded as evergreens in the New Albanian context.

Evergreen: 2: retaining freshness or interest : perennial

Unfortunately ...

ON THE AVENUES: These 10 definitions will help you speak local politics like a native.

It is a matter of considerable disappointment that I’ve never learned to speak a foreign language, at least outside of Restaurant Menu German, Ask for a Beer in Russian and Really Simple Numbers Spanish.

Accordingly, it annoys me when a writer inserts a foreign language phrase into the narrative without translation, especially when it’s French.

Stray Latin words that have crept into our vernacular (“Et tu, Brute?”) are one thing, but interrupting the account of a soccer match to quote Montesquieu strikes me as both pretentious and unnecessary.

On the other hand, finding the right word or words is crucial to communication, and readers “getting” it is the entire point of writing. Often I, too, make references to concepts using words and phrases which I assume are widely understood, but actually are not.

Today, with the magic of cut, paste and Wikipedia (except where noted), it is my aim to clarify certain words, phrases and concepts. There’ll be a definition, and a local example. Let’s begin with rage against the machine.

Political Machine

A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses (usually campaign workers), who receive rewards for their efforts. The machine's power is based on the ability of the workers to get out the vote for their candidates on election day.

Although these elements are common to most political parties and organizations, they are essential to political machines, which rely on hierarchy and rewards for political power, often enforced by a strong party whip structure. Machines sometimes have a political boss, often rely on patronage, the spoils system, "behind-the-scenes" control, and longstanding political ties within the structure of a representative democracy. The term may have a pejorative sense referring to corrupt political machines.

The Democratic Party machine controls municipal politics in New Albany, and the Republican Party machine in Floyd County, enabling them to maintain a comfy two-party monopoly on power. Among the indispensable cogs in the local patronage political party machine is the …

Ward Heeler

A ward heeler is an American urban political operative who works for a political party in a political ward, the smallest electoral subdivision of a city, usually in order to achieve an election result. A ward heeler may have controlling influence with a small clique in the ward organization. Often, ward heelers have been low-level operatives soliciting votes and performing campaign tasks on behalf of a political boss, including get-out-the-vote efforts, placing campaign signage, coordination of constituent support, etc. In many urban areas, ward heelers also serve as precinct captains.

In spite of the fact that Dan Coffey adheres to no coherent ideology apart from his jowly image in the mirror, his skill at ward heeling – particularly within the Autonomous Republic of Riverview Towers – means he never has to say he’s sorry. Ironically, Uncle Joe Stalin began as a ward heeler for the Bolsheviks, later graduating to …

Cult of Personality

A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic, and at times, worshipful image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.

For almost four years, New Albany’s current mayor has avoided making his first mistake in office. It is a consecutive-day errorless streak without parallel in politics. When missteps have occurred, they’ve been the fault of others. Constantly he produces shiny and magnanimous gifts for his constituents, and does so without raising taxes. He is everywhere, and yet nowhere, his image on the Book of Face, his name on numerous plaques.

Pssst … excuse me, but do you mind if I steal a glance behind that façade on the film studio backlot …

Potemkin Village

The phrase "Potemkin village" was originally used to describe a fake portable village, built only to impress. According to the story, Grigory Potemkin erected the fake portable settlement along the banks of the Dnieper River in order to fool Empress Catherine II during her journey to Crimea in 1787. The phrase is now used, typically in politics and economics, to describe any construction (literal or figurative) built solely to deceive others into thinking that some situation is better than it really is.

Our new water sports palace is very nice, thank you, but have you walked through an alleyway lately?

Seen the condition of some of our housing stock?

Tried to cross the street at Main and W. 1st?

Noticed the proliferation of Dollar General Stores on all available street corners?

It’s looking more and more like …

Smoke and mirrors

A metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians' illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in carrying out such a deception.

Another recurring local political favorite is the ‘ol …

Bait-and-switch

A form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by merchants' advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the advertised goods are not available, or the customers are pressured by sales people to consider similar, but higher priced items ("switching").

“Hello. I see you carry the economy packets of Municipal Budget. Can I have one of them, please? What’s that? You’re out of those, but you have the 40% Larger in Less Than Five Years size? Hmm, can I think about it for a minute? What? Whaddya mean I’ve already paid for it?”

Transparency

As used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in other social contexts, it implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. It has been defined simply as "the perceived quality of intentionally shared information from a sender".

As David Duggins demonstrated at Tuesday’s merchant meeting, “transparency” in New Albany is when anyone needing anything from government supplies an itemized, exhaustive list of motives, causes, effects and outcomes to a board of “works” that meets weekly at 10:00 a.m. and refuses to be bothered any other day or way, and when transparency is turned the other way around, it means government will conceive, plan, approve and execute a $20 million dollar TIF bond for parks without the benefit of a single substantive public meeting until after the plan is finished, primarily because …

Monetization

The term "monetization" may be used informally to refer to exchanging possessions for cash or cash equivalents, including selling a security interest, charging fees for something that used to be free, or attempting to make money on goods or services that were previously unprofitable or had been considered to have the potential to earn profits.

In New Albany, monetization occurs when the political machine utilizes non-transparency to fund capital projects (or Potemkin Villages) by bonding debt, incorporating the ward heeler’s share, as well as guaranteeing that lists of future political donors will include the same names as those on the contracts to design and construct the expensive capital projects. Many diverse beaks are made wet, and the circle remains unbroken, except that perhaps we’re finally about to witness a …

Revolution of Rising Expectations

Popularized during the 1950s in discussions of the foreign and developmental aid policies of the United States, the term was used to describe the hope of the poorest counties for a better future in the wake of postwar decolonialization. It was said that rising expectations embodied the 20th century’s “real” revolution insofar as it represented for the vast majority of the world’s population a break from centuries of stagnation, fatalism, and exploitation. (Encyclopedia.com)

In a New Albanian context, rising expectations are that the traditional political bait ‘n’ switch is replaced by merit and efficiency in civic management, wherein the city’s infrastructure and assets are deployed to provide a more level playing field for residents every day, not every now and then, and from the grassroots building upward, rather than trickling down.

It’s a point best made when borrowing a term from Teddy.

Bully pulpit

A sufficiently conspicuous position that provides an opportunity to speak out and be listened to. This term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to the White House as a "bully pulpit", by which he meant a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda. Roosevelt used the word bully as an adjective meaning "superb" or "wonderful", a more common usage in his time than it is today. Another expression which survives from this era is "bully for you", synonymous with "good for you".

1,466 words, and not a single one of them French.

You’re welcome.

Flyting: "The time-honored sport of verbal jousting."

I've underlined the same sentence that encouraged me to click through and read the entire essay.

FLYTING WAS MEDIEVAL ENGLAND'S VERSION OF AN INSULT-TRADING RAP BATTLE, by Tao Tao Holmes (Atlas Obscura)

Imagine a world that had swapped its guns for puns and its IEDs for repartees. Such a planet is possible if only those in power would manage their conflicts with flyting, the time-honored sport of verbal jousting.

Flyting is a stylized battle of insults and wits that was practiced most actively between the fifth and 16th centuries in England and Scotland. Participants employed the timeless tools of provocation and perversion as well as satire, rhetoric, and early bathroom humor to publicly trounce opponents. The term “flyting” comes from Old English and Old Norse words for “quarrel” and “provocation.” 'Tis a form of highly poetic abuse, or highly abusive poetry—a very early precursor to MTV’s Yo Mama and Eminem’s 8 Mile.

Alert the economic dishevelment selector: "Stubborn Myths and Dated Terms We'd Like to Retire in 2016."

Earlier, we considered traffic myths in need of cashiering, but which are sure to be continuously recycled as our C- student governmental apparatus botches the Speck plan.

More unread Gahan reading at CityLab: "10 Tired Traffic Myths That Didn't Get a Rest in 2015."

Today, a wider range of myth-busters. Click through to read them all in detail, though I have placed the blog spotlight on the lazy characterization most likely to be taken as holy writ during the construction of the Break Wind Lofts at Duggins Flats: "Millennials."

Stubborn Myths and Dated Terms We'd Like to Retire in 2016: A New Year’s wish list from CityLab

Whether they’re overused, misunderstood, or wrongfully deployed, sometimes good words and concepts go bad. As CityLab wraps up 2015 and looks forward to a new year full of promise, we’ve compiled the following list of myths we’re tired of debunking and phrases we’re tired of seeing—not to mention writing. Maybe, just maybe, if we all hold hands and jump together, we can reduce the number of times we’re collectively forced to contend with these terms in 2016.

Happy New Year, CityLab readers!

“Uber for X”
“A Tale of Two Cities”
“Artisanal”
“Eyesore”
“Wider Roads = Less Traffic”
“Creative Placemaking”
“Climate-Change Doubter”
”Hipsters”
”Illegals”

“Millennials”—I appreciate the need to categorize age groups for sociological study. Planners must be able gauge how much housing and how many jobs are awaiting young adults entering the workforce, for instance. But the term "millennials" has proven uniquely capable of absorbing all kinds of meanings beyond a strict temporal boundary. The result has been a perception of an entire generation made up of white, upper-middle-class urbanites from prestigious universities, more concerned about which tech startup to accept a job with than where their next meal is coming from. Because who else was born in the 1980s and ’90s?

This summer, a web browser extension that converts each mention of “millennial” in news stories to ”snake person” revealed the absurdity of some of the claims about the people supposedly in this cohort. Here's hoping the 2016 conversation on generational change and cultural mores can move beyond the buzzwords and towards a little more specificity and substance.—Julian Spector

“Resilience”
“Wage Gap”
“Sharing Economy”

Blair still troubled by word use, confuses council record with "independence."

"Serving the people, not the party."

So long as the people (a) live in or near the suburbs, (b) favor the usual subsidize/incentivize economic development models, (c) believe that only bankers are qualified to use terms like "cost-benefit analysis, and (d) view unlimited TIF bonding as the politician's version of Viagra ... then perhaps Scott Blair really does "serve" them.

Problem is, these planks are precisely the same ones espoused by Mayor Gahan and the DemoDisneyDixiecratic Party hierarchy. I cannot recall a time in four years when CM Blair has introduced an "independent" thought in council. He might well have been One Southern Indiana's propaganda coordinator.

So, as a humanities major, let me offer help with those pesky words: "Serving selected people and the party."

Now at least you're being honest, Scott.

Just not independent.

Looks like I have THAT side of the market cornered: Baylor for Mayor: 3 Goals + 7 Platform Points.

Midtown Renaissance: It depends on what you mean by "painted lady."

I suspect the use of "painted ladies" is intended to imbue these rare instances of New Albanian urban infill with architectural respectability.

"Painted ladies" is a term in American architecture used for Victorian and Edwardian houses and buildings painted in three or more colors that embellish or enhance their architectural details. The term was first used for San Francisco Victorian houses by writers Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen in their 1978 book Painted Ladies - San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians.

But while it's probably no longer politically correct, I prefer Elton John's word association.

"Painted lady" is a euphemism for a prostitute, but Elton's voice is in fine form in this 1976 recording.

Another might-fit: Bread and circuses.

It was only after publishing yesterday's ON THE AVENUES column ...

ON THE AVENUES: These 10 definitions will help you speak local politics like a native.

... that the term "bread and circuses" occurred to me.

"Bread and circuses" (or bread and games; from Latin: panem et circenses) is metonymic for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the generation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace, as an offered "palliative." Its originator, Juvenal, used the phrase to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of wider concerns. The phrase also implies the erosion or ignorance of civic duty amongst the concerns of the commoner.

There is a degree of symmetry between "bread and circuses" and another phrase, "let them eat cake."

While it is commonly attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, there is no record of this phrase ever having been said by her. It appears in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions, his autobiography (whose first six books were written in 1765, when Marie Antoinette was nine years of age, and published in 1782). The context of Rousseau's account was his desire to have some bread to accompany some wine he had stolen; however, in feeling he was too elegantly dressed to go into an ordinary bakery, he thus recollected the words of a "great princess". As he wrote in Book 6:

Enfin je me rappelai le pis-aller d’une grande princesse à qui l’on disait que les paysans n’avaient pas de pain, et qui répondit : Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.

Finally I recalled the stopgap solution of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: "Let them eat brioche."

See what I did there with the French phrase?

At any rate, in France (and most of Europe) bread was daily subsistence for the peasants, and brioche (cake) a richer and more expensive treat, so to suggest that the peasants might eat cake in the absence of bread was to be oblivious to socio-economic reality -- as when pricing season passes for a water park intended for all, as opposed to some.

As rhetorical swords go, "bread and circuses" is double -edged. We might express disdain for the ruler who distracts the people with restaurants and free performances, but what of the people permitting themselves to be distracted?

ON THE AVENUES: These 10 definitions will help you speak local politics like a native.

ON THE AVENUES: These 10 definitions will help you speak local politics like a native.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor.

It is a matter of considerable disappointment that I’ve never learned to speak a foreign language, at least outside of Restaurant Menu German, Ask for a Beer in Russian and Really Simple Numbers Spanish.

Accordingly, it annoys me when a writer inserts a foreign language phrase into the narrative without translation, especially when it’s French.

Stray Latin words that have crept into our vernacular (“Et tu, Brute?”) are one thing, but interrupting the account of a soccer match to quote Montesquieu strikes me as both pretentious and unnecessary.

On the other hand, finding the right word or words is crucial to communication, and readers “getting” it is the entire point of writing. Often I, too, make references to concepts using words and phrases which I assume are widely understood, but actually are not.

Today, with the magic of cut, paste and Wikipedia (except where noted), it is my aim to clarify certain words, phrases and concepts. There’ll be a definition, and a local example. Let’s begin with rage against the machine.

Political Machine

A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses (usually campaign workers), who receive rewards for their efforts. The machine's power is based on the ability of the workers to get out the vote for their candidates on election day.

Although these elements are common to most political parties and organizations, they are essential to political machines, which rely on hierarchy and rewards for political power, often enforced by a strong party whip structure. Machines sometimes have a political boss, often rely on patronage, the spoils system, "behind-the-scenes" control, and longstanding political ties within the structure of a representative democracy. The term may have a pejorative sense referring to corrupt political machines.

The Democratic Party machine controls municipal politics in New Albany, and the Republican Party machine in Floyd County, enabling them to maintain a comfy two-party monopoly on power. Among the indispensable cogs in the local patronage political party machine is the …

Ward Heeler

A ward heeler is an American urban political operative who works for a political party in a political ward, the smallest electoral subdivision of a city, usually in order to achieve an election result. A ward heeler may have controlling influence with a small clique in the ward organization. Often, ward heelers have been low-level operatives soliciting votes and performing campaign tasks on behalf of a political boss, including get-out-the-vote efforts, placing campaign signage, coordination of constituent support, etc. In many urban areas, ward heelers also serve as precinct captains.

In spite of the fact that Dan Coffey adheres to no coherent ideology apart from his jowly image in the mirror, his skill at ward heeling – particularly within the Autonomous Republic of Riverview Towers – means he never has to say he’s sorry. Ironically, Uncle Joe Stalin began as a ward heeler for the Bolsheviks, later graduating to …

Cult of Personality

A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic, and at times, worshipful image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.

For almost four years, New Albany’s current mayor has avoided making his first mistake in office. It is a consecutive-day errorless streak without parallel in politics. When missteps have occurred, they’ve been the fault of others. Constantly he produces shiny and magnanimous gifts for his constituents, and does so without raising taxes. He is everywhere, and yet nowhere, his image on the Book of Face, his name on numerous plaques.

Pssst … excuse me, but do you mind if I steal a glance behind that façade on the film studio backlot …

Potemkin Village

The phrase "Potemkin village" was originally used to describe a fake portable village, built only to impress. According to the story, Grigory Potemkin erected the fake portable settlement along the banks of the Dnieper River in order to fool Empress Catherine II during her journey to Crimea in 1787. The phrase is now used, typically in politics and economics, to describe any construction (literal or figurative) built solely to deceive others into thinking that some situation is better than it really is.

Our new water sports palace is very nice, thank you, but have you walked through an alleyway lately?

Seen the condition of some of our housing stock?

Tried to cross the street at Main and W. 1st?

Noticed the proliferation of Dollar General Stores on all available street corners?

It’s looking more and more like …

Smoke and mirrors

A metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description. The source of the name is based on magicians' illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a distracting burst of smoke. The expression may have a connotation of virtuosity or cleverness in carrying out such a deception.

Another recurring local political favorite is the ‘ol …

Bait-and-switch

A form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by merchants' advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the advertised goods are not available, or the customers are pressured by sales people to consider similar, but higher priced items ("switching").

“Hello. I see you carry the economy packets of Municipal Budget. Can I have one of them, please? What’s that? You’re out of those, but you have the 40% Larger in Less Than Five Years size? Hmm, can I think about it for a minute? What? Whaddya mean I’ve already paid for it?”

Transparency

As used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in other social contexts, it implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. It has been defined simply as "the perceived quality of intentionally shared information from a sender".

As David Duggins demonstrated at Tuesday’s merchant meeting, “transparency” in New Albany is when anyone needing anything from government supplies an itemized, exhaustive list of motives, causes, effects and outcomes to a board of “works” that meets weekly at 10:00 a.m. and refuses to be bothered any other day or way, and when transparency is turned the other way around, it means government will conceive, plan, approve and execute a $20 million dollar TIF bond for parks without the benefit of a single substantive public meeting until after the plan is finished, primarily because …

Monetization

The term "monetization" may be used informally to refer to exchanging possessions for cash or cash equivalents, including selling a security interest, charging fees for something that used to be free, or attempting to make money on goods or services that were previously unprofitable or had been considered to have the potential to earn profits.

In New Albany, monetization occurs when the political machine utilizes non-transparency to fund capital projects (or Potemkin Villages) by bonding debt, incorporating the ward heeler’s share, as well as guaranteeing that lists of future political donors will include the same names as those on the contracts to design and construct the expensive capital projects. Many diverse beaks are made wet, and the circle remains unbroken, except that perhaps we’re finally about to witness a …

Revolution of Rising Expectations

Popularized during the 1950s in discussions of the foreign and developmental aid policies of the United States, the term was used to describe the hope of the poorest counties for a better future in the wake of postwar decolonialization. It was said that rising expectations embodied the 20th century’s “real” revolution insofar as it represented for the vast majority of the world’s population a break from centuries of stagnation, fatalism, and exploitation. (Encyclopedia.com)

In a New Albanian context, rising expectations are that the traditional political bait ‘n’ switch is replaced by merit and efficiency in civic management, wherein the city’s infrastructure and assets are deployed to provide a more level playing field for residents every day, not every now and then, and from the grassroots building upward, rather than trickling down.

It’s a point best made when borrowing a term from Teddy.

Bully pulpit

A sufficiently conspicuous position that provides an opportunity to speak out and be listened to. This term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to the White House as a "bully pulpit", by which he meant a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda. Roosevelt used the word bully as an adjective meaning "superb" or "wonderful", a more common usage in his time than it is today. Another expression which survives from this era is "bully for you", synonymous with "good for you".

1,466 words, and not a single one of them French.

You’re welcome.

---

Recent columns:

June 11: ON THE AVENUES: This is Dan Coffey, New Albany’s quintessential Democrat.

June 4: ON THE AVENUES: Dan Coffey speaks for Jeff Gahan and the Democratic Party … unless they say otherwise.

May 28: ON THE AVENUES: The last of the summer beer.

May 21: ON THE AVENUES REWOUND: "I Just Want to Know, Can I Park Here Somewhere?”

May 14: ON THE AVENUES: Take this cult of personality and shove it.

May 7: ON THE AVENUES: In Havel I trust.

Demokrasi in Turkey, though a word less seldom encountered in New Albany.

Words tend to be taken so lightly in New Albanian political circles that they might as well not even exist.

Rather, we might communicate by grunting and moaning sounds simply denoting lesser or greater monetization ecstasy, accompanied only periodically by Orwellian linguistic adaptations, such as the word "fundamentally," which in New Albany implies surface sheen and not basic substance.

On to the post; first Turkey, then Krugman.

At least Turkey has some variety of awakening underway.

From Atatürk to demokrasi: a glossary of changing Turkey, by Elif Shafak (The Guardian)

As every writer, journalist or poet knows only too well, words are not to be taken lightly. Especially so in Turkey. Words can get you sued and put on trial, demonised by the government and their henchmen in the media, sent to prison or into exile. Critical-minded individuals can be branded as “traitors” overnight – just because of an article or a poem or even a tweet.

The surprise outcome of last Sunday’s Turkish elections, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) lost its majority, leading to the resignation of prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, has sent shockwaves around Europe and the Middle East. But to understand the political situation in a land as complicated as Turkey requires one to look not only at what is being said, but also at the deliberate silences. Here’s a glossary of key words ...

In New Albany, these deliberate silences usually occur when someone like me asks someone like Democratic Party chairman (and redevelopment lackey) Adam Dickey how it's possible that Dan Coffey is a Democrat.

The columnist Krugman sees a leftward shift for the Democratic Party in national terms, and in part, explains this by suggesting the party sees the futility of centrist positioning.

The problem locally is that many Democrats start from an ideological perspective so far right that merely moving to the center would require a seismic upheaval.

Democrats Being Democrats, by Paul Krugman (New York Times)

You see, ever since Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, Democrats have been on the ideological defensive. Even when they won elections they seemed afraid to endorse clearly progressive positions, eager to demonstrate their centrism by supporting policies like cuts to Social Security that their base hated. But that era appears to be over. Why?

ON THE AVENUES: Upscale residency at down-low prices.

ON THE AVENUES: Upscale residency at down-low prices.

A weekly web column by Roger A. Baylor.

“I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books."
– Kanye West, seeking a position in the New Albany economic development hierarchy

Previously in this space, we’ve examined the Gahan administration’s recurring vocabulary malfunction.

Who even knew that Dr. Pavlov had an office in the Elsby Building?

Obviously desperate to avoid revisiting uncomfortable days of yore in junior high, when the former Marine Corps drill instructor Mr. Buzzkilljoy required they memorize the precise meaning of words in the English language and regurgitate these definitions on demand, city officials in New Albany now delight in the deployment of banal and indeterminate code phrases suitable only for the approbation of the ever-eager stenographer cadre.

Quality of life, public safety and better access have been the most consistently overused of these meaningless bromides, and we await the inevitable resurrection of classic Orwellian gems of doublethink as local Democratic Party campaign slogans:

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
When You Wish Upon A Star/Makes No Difference Who You Are

Oops – sorry.

That last one obviously serves as the credo of the Redevelopment Commission, and any connection with the DemoDisneyDixiecrats is purely Dickeyensian.

---

Make a wish, blow out the candles, and welcome a new addition to the Gahan team’s tired lexicon.

Upscale.

Exactly what is meant by the word “upscale”? It might depend on one’s socioeconomic vantage point (rats, a penalty is assessed to me for using a seven syllable word within the city limits), but here is the dictionary’s point of view.

up•scale
ˌəpˈskāl/
adjective & adverb

NORTH AMERICAN

adjective: upscale; adverb: upscale

toward or relating to the more expensive or affluent sector of the market.

"Hawaii's upscale boutique hotels"

synonyms: deluxe, posh, ritzy, upper-class, classy, chi-chi; high-end, expensive, high-priced

Upscale is trending because just last week, in a grudgingly reluctant process akin to tapping maple trees and collecting sap, information about the proposed Coyle site development began seeping ever so slowly from City Hall’s propaganda directorate, located deep within the bowels of the Down Low Bunker.

But first, kindly note the irony.

Among other Gahan initiatives, some randomly sensible and others fully befitting the sort of vision generally experienced in the tuneless strumming of a Jimmy Buffett cover band, only the dormant-by-design Speck Downtown Street Network Plan both contextualizes and (perhaps, maybe, possibly) justifies the city’s involvement in the Coyle infill apartment project.

Naturally, while Gahan and his vacuous minions continue to treat the Speck proposals as though they were paper envelopes filled with free-range ricin, the announcement of “upscale” apartments was owned and groomed and feted by them like a Saudi sheik's first-born thoroughbred, proving yet again that they are the very worst civic actors in recent memory.

John Mattingly was positively Shakespearean by comparison ... or maybe it was Sicilian.

---

To reiterate, the major selling point of the Coyle site proposal thus far seems to rest on the undefined shoulders of that magic word.

Upscale.

The usage is intended to animate the extension of the pinky at a right angle from one’s grip of the ice-cold Bud Light longneck, to be wiggled while purring like a socialite:

“Not like those low-income housing credits, honey buns.”

Conceding that detailed plans haven’t yet found their way to NA Confidential, the problem is that early indicators like last week’s project drawings simply don’t speak to “upscale” at all, at least when the accepted meaning of words is respected. In fact, the proposed buildings don’t look appreciably different than ordinary blocks of middle class flats I’ve seen in dozens of European cities and more than a few American ones, too.

Regular reader W was specific.

When I think upscale, I think apartment balconies and patios should be deeper than the windows are wide. Just room enough for an 8" hibachi grill, maybe? The upscale apartment dwellers won't be able to sit in a lawn chair and enjoy the traffic zooming by on such a tiny sliver of concrete. That's quality of life?

Ah, but we’re still waiting on that particular definition, aren’t we?

The stacked, multi-story exterior staircases look deadly as well - "upscale" doesn't include secure elevators? Look at the end of the building, with the lovely, open air staircases.

"Hello, ‘upscale’ apartment tenant, climb the stairs with your bags of groceries that you had to drive somewhere to buy because there are no grocery stores near your ‘upscale’ apartments."

Oh, I know, all of these "upscale" tenants will eat out every night, because the tenants are just "better" - after all, they live in "upscale" apartments.

Walk up, multi-story flats aren't exactly upscale. Do you want people from the street to able to climb the stairs up to your front door and wait for you to come home when you're paying high end, "upscale" rent? What we're being told and what we're seeing doesn't add up.

Regrettably, math class posed its own grave difficulties, especially when all you wanted to do was go outside and play baseball.

The many differences between wishful-star-related thinking and hard reality also were sadly prominent the last time the city struck up a full-Sousa soundtrack and pledged fealty to a private, for-profit construction entity, this being Mainland’s ill-fated Riverview project, circa 2011-12.

Since then, there have been two major themes in what the mayor enjoys tidily euphemizing as “the business of residency” – and no, this phrase hasn’t been defined yet, either.

First, council creatures Bob Caesar and Kevin Zurschmiede would rather see a building collapse of its own neglect and/or grandiosely self-immolate than acquiesce in the consideration of low-income housing tax credits in its refurbishment.

Second, private developers like Matt Chalfant are pursuing living space rehabs without substantive financial incentivization based on a profit vs. loss instinct that looks disturbingly like capitalism.

What of City Hall's "business of residency"? Let’s go to Bluegill for the coda.

The only thing the Gahan/Duggins administration has proven particularly adept at so far is giving away massive amounts of public money to developers and corporations. This is just part and parcel.

If (developers) want to take on the risk and build within the existing rules that locals have to follow, they can build. We shouldn't be subsidizing them, especially given the many, more productive uses for local money. Honestly, we need to get over the whole upscale, raising property values gambit and all the trickle down approaches to it. You know who most cares if property values rise? People planning on taking money from the community and/or borrowing against it to go into more debt. It's just repeating the same cycle.

The only way to stop the concession extraction is to say no to concessions. Unfortunately, our current ED has spent his career doing little except for offering concessions. That's true, though, of the entire Democratic Party hereabouts. It's going to be especially funny if the Gahan administration tries to use a big handout as justification for better streets, making it about the developer rather than residents.

Is it time for an addition to A New Albanist’s Dictionary?*

Upscale
An imported construction project pursued with our own municipal funds, as opposed to state and federal low income housing tax credits, as standing in sharp contrast with the dilapidated condition of surrounding neighborhoods, which have been down so long that it looks like up to them.

Not that they'll ever read one.

---

* Volume One and Volume Two

The Mayor's Minute, missing words: "I had a wonderful time at the 46th annual mayor's breakfast last Saturday."

That's odd. Here's the way it read on the posters.

Perhaps the facts are beginning to seep in.

"Government officials can worship, pray, and participate in religious events in their personal capacities. But they are not permitted to provide credibility or prestige to their religion by lending a government office and government title to religious events."

Don't forget: Drinking Progressively: Let's make it Tuesday evenings, beginning on November 25.

Theoretically, one might dox a doxy.

I'm becoming quite old, because these words sparked rapid cerebral confusion:

Felicia Day Shares Feelings on GamerGate, Gets Doxxed

Yesterday The Guild creator and TV star Felicia Day published a moving Tumblr post ("The Only Thing I Have to Say About Gamergate") expressing her fears about certain aspects of the GamerGate movement - accusations of engaging in harassing, threatening and doxxing women.

To me, this headline might as well have been written in Cyrillic or Mandarin, such is my complete absence of familiarity with any of the persons and concepts mentioned in it. However, for reasons soon to be explained, one word in particular captured my attention and sent me scurrying to the dictionary (that's why they're there): Doxxed.

dox
däks/
verb informal
past tense: doxxed; past participle: doxxed
search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the Internet, typically with malicious intent.

Think of the file extension, and it makes sense: .docx

With all due credit to Joe (wiry mother in an orange cap) Kerstiens, who quite some time ago introduced me to Noblesville, Indiana born author Rex Stout and the Nero Wolfe series of detective novels, the word "doxxed" persisted in appearing as "doxy" to me, as in "Death of a Doxy," in which the meaning is explained.

"My sister was a what?"

"D,O,X,Y, doxy. I happen to like that better than concubine or paramour or mistress. I don't —"

I stopped because I had to, to protect my face.

— Archie Goodwin, conversing with Stella Fleming in Death of a Doxy, chapter 5

The dictionary approaches it with more bluntness.

dox·y
ˈdäksē
noun archaic
a lover or mistress.
a prostitute.

Verbs and nouns, informal and archaic. Make 'em count.

Don't be a puckfist and Come To Whipper-tootie City.

Just keep your filthy mitts off my trinkgeld.

66 Facts You May Not Have Known About The English Language, by Paul Anthony Jones (Huffington Post)

Thanks to the Bookseller for the link.

Levee me this, Levy.

It took me a moment to understand why the title of this Tribune article so confused me. Then, noticing that the article itself provided no relief, it finally occurred to me. Spell check provides no relief when correctly spelling the incorrect word.

Levy: To impose or collect a tax.
Levies: Money, property, or troops levied.
Levee: An embankment raised to prevent a river from overflowing.
Levees: Multiple embankments.

If we were to ask Professor Erika (but why bother?), he/she probably would begin screeching that when it comes to $12 million for an uppity pergessive parking garage, levies levied for levees are a levy too far.

Or, in Italian: "Le imposizioni sono argini," or some such Papal Nuncio.

Meanwhile, don't forget: Tomorrow marks the return of Councilman Cappuccino and Li'l Stevie to Tribune column inches, with the latter of the historically conjoined yet again heroically abstaining from the levy/levee debate.

Perhaps New Albany's most underachieving politician in generations can be leveraged out of office in 2011.

$42M development may feature cut in levy: New Albany being asked to pay $12 million for garage, handle expenses of levy cut, by Daniel Suddeath.

The commission was not asked to approve any financing for the project, but Bobo requested the city pay for its own analysis of the development to get an independent estimate of how much tax revenue New Albany could yield, which the body approved by a 4-0 count.

Councilman and commission member Steve Price abstained from voting on the financial analysis hire, as he said he would need more information before feeling comfortable casting a ballot regarding anything to do with River View.