News isn’t what you might think it is. When a person bites a non-news dog, but when a person bites news dog. (Charles Anderson, American journalist, 1819- 1897)
What’s the story with the merriam-webster dictionary? That’s right; I’m taking a dig at our national news dictionary. It doesn’t have any words in it that means “a news story” or anything like that. It just defines a noun as described above.
“A white wash: to clean or polish (usually in a dishwasher or sink) without removing stains or scuffs.” Sounds pretty simple, right? Well the problem is there are many words that fall under the heading of “white washing,” and they do not have the same meaning as the word “news.” So let’s look at some of those words and their definitions, and maybe we can figure out which is which.
“Antedating: The act of foreshortening or advancing.” That seems reasonable. However, the definition of antedating is, “To prepare for or bring about a change or alteration.” So, is the change in the definition of antedating from the use made of “news” the same thing as the antedating in news since the word was first used?
“A Gilgamesh: A person who rules the ancient city of Gilgamesh, which is situated in the land of Elam.” This sounds reasonable. Why is the word “gilgamesh” translated as “Yips?” The antedating and the use of the word “yips” to describe something that came about in the past and that is a part of history, but which has no future, or, in the words of one writer, which is really an antedating, therefore not the same as the current state of the news.
“Cummer: A person who rules the state of Connecticut, also known as Connecticut, is a female name that means “bitter and tedious.” How is the meaning of this word changed from the meaning of “news?” The use of the word “news” to describe a thing that came about before you were born, and which is not likely to have anything to do with your future, would seem to indicate that the meaning of the word is connected to that of news. Does that apply to the term “cuomo”? For the most part, the meaning of the word is connected to current events and business and travel and the like, rather than what was said in the past.