Trivia

I have an interest in words that all at once become part of our everyday vocabulary. During our recent political campaigns, we frequently heard the word vet or vetted. I understand its meaning, but what about its origin? As has become a common practice, I went to Google for the answer. According to Wikipedia, “to vet was orginally a horse-racing term, referring to the requirement that a horse be checked for health and soundness by a veterinarian before being allowed to race. Thus, it has taken the general meaning ‘to check’”. Perhaps, we can now retire paradigm or paradigm shift, a too frequently used buzzword, as vet and deflation are today’s words. However, this might be a disconnect for some.