>>> Item number 10822 from WRITERS LOG9304A --- (38 records) ----- <<< Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1993 17:05:01 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: WOTD: A Slippery Word of the Day [prune juice for the mind] You're probably all familiar with the word "relax" (no matter how little chance you may have to try it). You are also probably familiar with the word "lax". (NOT the airport) (If you're not, go look them both up right now! .... Good, we'll go on now.) Now, why is it that the "lax" state to which we are returning when we "re-lax" has such a bad name? Is it that being uptight was considered good (what with the puritans and all that), so that not yet having achieved that state was bad, while getting just a little unwound was acceptable? Read and re-read, pay and repay, turn and return, lax and relax - doing something and then doing it again is usually quite without penalty, except that we should not be lax, but we should relax. Oddly assymmetric concepts, when returning to the state is good, but having it the first time is bad... Or is there something about the effect of laxatives mixed up in this? Did Freud get his mitts into the psychic pie, twisting a whole people to retention being more adult than simple relief? So that childish laxity is not so good, more mature constipation is an over-reaction, and even later relaxation may depend on chemical laxatives of various persuasions? Good morning! Lax, Relaxed, or however you are. "mad lax" tink