Put Down the Blue Pencil, and Nobody Will Get Hurt

Did you ever wonder why we use the term blue-pencil as a synonym for editing? You didn't? Well, I'll tell you anyway. It seems that editors used to use a pencil with blue lead to edit copy because the blue color would not show in some lithographic reproduction processes, allowing the editor to make marks directly on the copy which would not later show up by accident on the printed page. Now that most editing is done on word processors, blue pencils are seldom used, but the expression remains as a term (often pejorative) for the editing process.*

Well, speaking of editing, we haven't done the Great Moments in Editing thing for a while, so let's pull out some examples today, eh?

Well, I suppose we all need to be remembered for something ...

What's in a name?

Well, if you've got to be unresponsive someplace, it might as well be here, rather than in Congress ...

I'm glad we got that cleared up ...

And then there's the classic question: if nothing sticks to Teflon, how do they get the Teflon to stick to the pan? ...

Because you just can't dance to dead chicken music ...

Picking those bones out of your longhorn cheese is such a nuisance, isn't it? ...

I can tell you, with the voice of experience, that this is not something to be done too quickly ...

... but if, nevertheless, you need to get it over with quickly, you can go here for the ultimate in convenience ...

Those who can, do. Those who can't ... well ...

And there you are ... more classic examples of the cold-blooded murder of the language. Don't try this at home ...

Have a good day. More thoughts ... properly edited, one hopes ... tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Red ink is sometimes used for the same reason, as the red pigment does not reproduce by xerography. Many years ago, when banks used to send you back your cancelled checks each month, I was dating a young lady who worked at the local bank. She would occasionally write clever messages to me on my cancelled checks with a red felt-tipped pen, knowing that I could read them, but they wouldn't interfere with the scans of the checks.


B.