The President and the Word ‘Ceasefire’
It’s not easy writing and editing dictionaries. As the world changes so does the vernacular. Besides introducing new words that come along, there is a core responsibility of the lexicographer to revise existing words that have taken on new or expanded meanings.
The profession certainly must have its challenges. Take the word “ceasefire”. We can all agree that it means a temporary pause in hostilities between warring factions. Yet, for quite some time, the President — a high-profile influencer because of his communication skills and bully pulpit — has implied that there can be a ceasefire even when one of the sides keeps fighting and killing, (e.g., Hamas, Hezbollah, or the recent shooting down of a US Army Apache helicopter by the Iranian regime).
If I was a lexicographer, which I’m not, and I were revising the word ceasefire, the entry in a dictionary of my making might look like this:
ceasefire
- A military order to cease firing
- A pause of ongoing hostilities
- A claim of a pause of ongoing hostilities when it is not happening
- A claim of a pause of ongoing hostilities when it is not happening and for the purpose of making a political deal
- A claim of a pause of ongoing hostilities when it is not happening and for the purpose of making things seem better than they are
- A term most often invoked in the Middle East to describe a pause in ongoing hostilities when no such pause is actually taking place
- A word that always brings a Cheshire Cat grin to those looking to harm the Jewish State.
Somehow I suspect my list of definitions is incomplete. Fortunately, I am not a lexicographer. When the time comes to revise the dictionary, I trust the professionals will be equal to the challenge presented by the President.
