Memories of Smilin’ Jack.

If you’re older than your millennial kids, you may remember Smilin’ Jack, the comic strip about a hot-shot aviator of the same name. Aviator: it brings up memories of guys wearing leather helmets, goggles, at the stick in an open cockpit of a bi-plane, in dog-fights with enemies like the Red Baron. (Check out “Smilin’ Jack” on Google and you’ll see a classic aviator in action.)

What brings this up is a Bloomberg News story, Feb. 21, 2018, under the headline “As profits soar, pilots want pensions back.” Following the Curved Yellow Fruit Law of Journalese that prohibits using an important word twice in one sentence, the story says: “‘The company is flush with money,’ said Dan Carey, president of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents aviators at American.” And it goes on: “Delta pilots have met with counterparts at FedEx Corp., where union leaders are evaluating possible remedies to a shortfall in retirement benefits for the company’s senior aviators.”

Nothing wrong with “aviator.” Less sexist than “flyboy.” And shorter than “flight deck crew.” And it does bring back memories.

File under: Imagine Harry Belafonte singing, “Come mister tally man, tally me curved yellow fruit…”

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