Please Answer No One Is Answering
Family & Relationships0 min ago
Transatlantic Jargon
16 Answers
Several times lately I've heard the curious expression 'pushing the envelope'. What on earth is this supposed to refer to? Is this more rubbish-speak like 'blue sky thinking', which must refer to day dreaming, or 'at the end of the day' when they don't mean bedtime. David Cameron is heard to utter 'not on my watch' and he's not even in the Navy! I think our Colonial brothers across the Pond are responsible for all this mangling of the English language and it should not be to allowed to continue.
Have a nice day......oopps, sorry.
Cheers chaps, TTFN.
Have a nice day......oopps, sorry.
Cheers chaps, TTFN.
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It's similar to 'pushing the boundaries'
In aerodynamics, the flight envelope, service envelope, or performance envelope of an aircraft refers to the capabilities of a design in terms of airspeed and load factor or altitude. When a plane is pushed, for instance by diving it at high speeds, it is said to be flown "outside the envelope", something considered rather dangerous.
In aerodynamics, the flight envelope, service envelope, or performance envelope of an aircraft refers to the capabilities of a design in terms of airspeed and load factor or altitude. When a plane is pushed, for instance by diving it at high speeds, it is said to be flown "outside the envelope", something considered rather dangerous.
Without wishing to defend 'gobbledegook' these phrases often express nuances and meanings that are subtly but significantly different to what appears to be their predecessors
Like any jargon, they begin as primarily inclusive terms in the sense that they mean something distinctive and differentiating to people in the user group even when they seem silly to outsiders
As one example, 'pushing the envelope' is similar to but different to 'pushing the boundaries' 'Boundaries' tend to be arbitrary man-made limits whereas 'the envelope' was an environmental limit - so when the original aerospace engineers and pilots went beyond flight regulations or procedural limits they may have been described as 'pushing the boundaries'
When they challenged the operational capabilities of an aircraft they were 'pushing the envelope'
Like any jargon, they begin as primarily inclusive terms in the sense that they mean something distinctive and differentiating to people in the user group even when they seem silly to outsiders
As one example, 'pushing the envelope' is similar to but different to 'pushing the boundaries' 'Boundaries' tend to be arbitrary man-made limits whereas 'the envelope' was an environmental limit - so when the original aerospace engineers and pilots went beyond flight regulations or procedural limits they may have been described as 'pushing the boundaries'
When they challenged the operational capabilities of an aircraft they were 'pushing the envelope'
"pushing the envelope" or "pushing the boundaries" means "increasing the operating capabilities of a technological system", or, "exceeding the existing limits in a certain field". Where there are nuances and meanings that are subtly different to what went before, there is still no reason why they cannot be expressed just as well in plain English. This is a matter dealt with by Sir Ernest Gowers in his book "The Complete Plain Words", published in 1964, and still in print. For years now I've been of the opinion that his book should be made compulsory reading in schools. It's worth a browse, and, as luck would have it, it can be read online at...
http://
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the first person I heard using the phrase 'on my watch' was the outgoing Controller of radio Two re. the Sachsgate scandal.
Since then, almost every talking head in the media seems to dredge it up - probably because it evokes the idea of being kept safe by a politician.
i know I know - i didn't said it had to be truthful!!
Since then, almost every talking head in the media seems to dredge it up - probably because it evokes the idea of being kept safe by a politician.
i know I know - i didn't said it had to be truthful!!
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