[PW] Two-part query: Journalistic cliches and real estate argot

[Bob Boyce]

Don--
  You might also be interested in a recent newspaper article on the terms used by mail-order plant catalogs, such as "fast-growing" or "super." Written by Steve Batie, it had the title "It Helps If You Know The Code," and appeared Jan 20, 2008 in the Lincoln Journal Star. I could send you a copy if you are interested.

Bob Boyce
Reference Department, Lincoln NE City Libraries
r.boyce at LincolnLibraries.org



-----Original Message-----
From: "Don" dan8bks at yahoo.com
Sent 2/12/2008 12:56:39 PM
To: "Project Wombat" list at project-wombat.org
Subject: [PW] Two-part query: Journalistic cliches and real estate argot

1) Are there books or lists describing the history and origin of how, why,
and when various journalistic clichés and hackneyed phrases enter and sta
y in popular currency? Typical examples gleaned from the print media recent
ly (and which often appear, ad nauseum) are given below:
“closed-door” meetings 

storms “dumped” X feet of snow

prices “skyrocketed” 

“at the end of the day” 

“sends a clear message” 

2) Are there books* which translate a) realtor’s lingo or a
rgot used in describing the features and desirability of homes or housing d
evelopments:
Examples of a) “Handyman Special” for a dilapidated shack
needing major repair or refurbishing;
“Estate-size lots” , etc.
* Is there an Idiot’s Guide to Realtor’s Flim-Flam or som
e comparable guidebook so homebuyers can separate the metaphorical wheat fr
om the chaff?
and which explain b) current practices in the naming of housing developme
nts, by attribution to either real or implied physical or geographical feat
ures or reference to prior landowners or events which occurred on the site?
Example of b) “Willow Creek Estates” (or similar intimati
on of rural or bucolic settings, even where there may not be either a creek
nor willows nearby)
“Smith’s Farm” (or similar prope
r-name allusion possibly tied to a prior owner of the land on which a devel
opment is located)
“Fox Deceived Farm” (or similar r
eference to an event or happening significant in the local history of the s
ite)
Again, the aim is to know whether current naming practices must have
bases in fact, by law, or are such naming conventions generally contrived,
ersatz, and full of flummery just to snare the unwary. Are there legal imp
lications for possible deceptive wording and where is the line drawn?
My searches have been confined to Google and Yahoo online and
inquiries made of local realtors. Neither tactic has yielded any substanti
ve results. I’m currently subscribed to the Digest version of the Project
Wombat list and can pick up any replies to these queries there. These ques
tions are for my personal use...thus, no big sweat about response time. Man
y thanks for any help you can give.
Don Wittig
---------------------------------
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