{"id":1092,"date":"2015-07-29T16:33:36","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T04:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/?p=1092"},"modified":"2015-07-29T16:33:36","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T04:33:36","slug":"squandering-our-treasures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/?p=1092","title":{"rendered":"Squandering our treasures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=1091\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1091\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1091\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Bucket2-300x297.jpg\" alt=\"Bucket2\" width=\"300\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Bucket2-300x297.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Bucket2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Bucket2.jpg 436w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>In the English language, the meaning of words often changes with time.\u00a0 It seems that it has always been thus.<\/p>\n<p>When I was growing up <em>utilise<\/em> generally meant to make use of something which might otherwise have been lost or discarded.\u00a0 For example, a builder might <em>utilise<\/em> bricks salvaged from an old building as part of a new building.<\/p>\n<p>Today, utilise is often used simply as a posh word for use.\u00a0 \u2018I think we should utilise the green paint in the bedroom, Samantha.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>There has been a similar shift in the meaning of <em>anticipate<\/em>.\u00a0 Once it meant to expect something to happen and to take steps to mitigate the effect of that something happening.\u00a0 \u2018General Smith anticipated an attack on the left flank and dispatched a squadron of light cavalry to repel it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Today, anticipate is more likely to be used to mean simply expect or await.\u00a0 And so the announcement of every second concert, film, or TV show is the announcement of a \u2018much anticipated\u2019 event.\u00a0 \u2018Madonna\u2019s much-anticipated world tour.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>I know several older wordsmiths who are greatly exercised by these developments.\u00a0 And I\u2019m sure that, for many, it\u2019s tempting to see these people as just a bunch of pedantic old fuddy-duddies.<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s a question: if utilise now means use, what word do we have to express the idea that utilise used to express?\u00a0 How about reculate?\u00a0 No?\u00a0 Well \u2026 it was just a suggestion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the English language, the meaning of words often changes with time.\u00a0 It seems that it has always been thus. When I was growing up utilise generally meant to make use of something which might otherwise have been lost or &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/?p=1092\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1092"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1092"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1093,"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1092\/revisions\/1093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kiwistreet.co.nz\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}