Word: omens
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...Politics Note: College students in the Boston area were informed by a circular that a radical named Michael Harrington was running for Congress against a "superhawk." Student volunteers saw a Harrington victory as a good omen for the October Moratorium. Many were certain that this Michael Harrington was the Michael Harrington who wrote The Other America and Toward a Democratic Left. No, that man is another Michael Harrington. The Sixth District may not be ready...
From a Greek word meaning "to use words of good omen," euphemism is the substitution of a pleasant term for a blunt one-telling it like it isn't. Euphemism has probably existed since the beginning of language. As long as there have been things of which men thought the less said the better, there have been better ways of saying less. In everyday conversation the euphemism is, at worst, a necessary evil; at its best, it is a handy verbal tool to avoid making enemies needlessly, or shocking friends. Language purists and the blunt-spoken may wince when...
...earliest stargazers, the planet Mars was a fearful omen suspended in the sky. The Babylonians took its strange reddish hue as a warning of bloodshed and fire, and the ancient Syrians sought to ward off such evils with human sacrifices. The Greeks, who called it Ares, and the Romans, to whom it was Mars, both regarded it as the god of war. To this day, the martial shield and spear remain the symbol for the red planet...
...patriotic renewal, but flag fever has been sweeping the country for months. "Twenty years ago, flag waving would have been a harmless thing," says Alistair Cooke, a naturalized citizen who for three decades has reported on Americana to his native Britain. "Now it's something of an omen. Some of the flags are carefully pasted upside down-a reminder that the Republic is indeed flying a distress signal...
...Chicano's cause well enough known to make that goal possible. While la huelga is in some respects a limited battle, it is also symbolic of the Mexican-American's quest for a full role in U.S. society. What happens to Chavez's farm workers will be an omen, for good or ill, of the Mexican-American's future. For the short term, Chavez's most tangible aspiration is to win the fight with the grape growers. If he can succeed in that difficult and uncertain battle, he will doubtless try to expand the movement beyond the vineyards into...