The Etymology of Everyday Metaphors
Did you know that some of the phrases we use on a day-to-day basis are actually technical jargons? “Under the radar” and “bandwidth” may not come from where you thought. Even the word “fallout” isn’t what you might assume — it’s a technical term used in military, aviation, and engineering, originally meaning radioactive particles driven into the atmosphere after a nuclear blast.
But before we dive into how these terms came into use, lets’s see as to why technical jargons crept into everyday language in the first place.
Most often, technical terms appear when existing everyday words feel too vague. Specialized fields sometimes spend millions defining specific operational states, making it inevitable for these terms to find their way into common parlance. Additionally, words sometimes simply do not mean the exact thing we want them to mean. If I were to say, “I am exhausted,” you would assume that I am drained from something — it carries a more emotional connection than if I were to say, “I lack bandwidth.” In the latter, you would assume I do not have the resources or the time for a particular task. Furthermore, using technical terms and flowery language on an everyday basis is often viewed as a sign of better literacy skills or competence.
Now for the interesting part: how have these jargons become widely used vocabulary, and what exactly are they?
I’m sure you’re wondering — because I’ve used it as an example multiple times — where does bandwidth actually come from? As you may have guessed, it originates from computer and technology, originally meaning the volume of information per unit of time that a transmission medium can handle. That’s a slightly loaded sentence, I know, but it does tell you it’s quite a technical term. And if you notice, the core meaning has not changed — it’s just broadened. Bandwidth is still about how much you can do in a particular time period with specific resources. It transitioned from overly technical language to something that is usable in everyday life.
Here is a list of such words:
Under the Radar:
Originally: Flying below detection level to avoid radar signals.Now: Doing something in a way or avoiding being seen by managers.
Triage:
Originally: French military way of sorting people who are hurt based on how urgent they are.
Now: Sorting an email inbox or a list of projects.
Fallout:
Originally: Radioactive particles that go into the air after an explosion
Now: Arguments or bad news after a business problem.
Trigger:
Originally: Medical words for serious mental injury and specific PTSD events.
Now: Used for discomfort or small disagreements.
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OCD and Bipolar:
Originally: Specific ways to diagnose health problems
Now: Common words to describe being organized or changing moods.
What do these expressions say about people? Do they connect to todays world? Do they show something about how people think and change in a fast world? It turns out they do.
Think about it like this: in the 1800s people used words from farming like “planting seeds” or “smooth sailing.” In the 1900s words from factories and machines were common like “working at speed.” Todays special words are mostly from computers and systems showing a change in culture towards being efficient of emotional.
Using words, from other areas is not ruining language; its showing that language is alive. It shows how human language solves communication problems by using ideas from different areas. So the time you tell someone that they need to “turn off” or “start over “ remember you are part of an old way of speaking: using the newest technology to explain the oldest human feelings.
Think about it like this: in the 19th Century, people borrowed agricultural terms and phrases such as “sowing seeds” or “smooth sailing.” In the 20th Century, factory and mechanical metaphors became dominant, like “firing on all cylinders.” Today’s technical jargons are mostly computational and operational, reflecting a cultural shift toward efficiency rather than emotion.
Lastly I would like to ask you, which word from your specific industry is used by people on an everyday basis, but means something else (semantic bleaching)?
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialsoflinguistics2/chapter/14-6-semantic-change/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28601710/
https://journals.ysu.am/index.php/arm-fol-angl/article/view/Vol.12_No.1_2016_pp.027-038
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/technical-terms
https://pure.mpg.de/view/item_3039770_2
https://www.thoughtco.com/semantic-bleaching-word-meanings-1689028
