PC Hear it!

PC definition - telecom
  1. Personal computer. A microcomputer, including its own operating system (OS), application software, and other components necessary for its operation in service of a single user. See also mainframe and minicomputer.
  2. Politically correct. In reference to language, humor, or behavior crafted to be minimally offensive to anyone and everyone, but most especially to the humorless, developmentally deprived, and overly sensitive poor souls who take offense (or feign offense) and often threaten legal action at any reference to gender, race, religion, disability, or other human attribute they choose to target at the moment. Thanks to these poor souls, linemen are now lineworkers, manholes are now personholes, manhole covers are now maintenance covers, master/slave is now primary/secondary, dikes are now wire clippers, waiters and waitresses are now servers, stewards and stewardesses are now flight attendants, and fishermen are now fishers. Further, he or she is now they, which may be PC, but certainly is GI (Grammatically Incorrect), and so I refuse to use it in this book or any other. (My editors may override my decision, of course.) Believe it or not, disabled is moving towards differently-abled. Holy Moley! (Or should I say Good Gravy?) See also Bless his heart and euphemism.

Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments


Do you have more to add? Sign in to share your linguistic knowledge or observation.

Connect with Facebook