Redundant scribbles in the air
OUR reports on the phenomenon of people “using words in a novel sense without knowing their original meaning” (25 December 2010 and 22 January 2011) struck a chord with Anita Gait. She draws our attention to the parallel phenomenon of people using gestures that no longer represent the idea they are trying to convey. She gives the example of what she calls the “air scribble” motion we all do when requesting the bill in a restaurant, despite the fact that we haven’t signed for anything in a restaurant in years.
“The joint boss of investment bank Barclays Capital is currently…
