Words Have Meaning

The other day, Ian introduced the subject of an "allowance" - something that he doesn't get, but unfortunately apparently many of his peers do. Being Scottish as I am, I had to adorn the category a bit, rather than leave it in its default mode - that of just another entitlement. I asked Ian exactly what his colleagues do to earn their allowances - precisely what tasks do they perform? This was an entirely foreign consideration for young Ian. But he quickly got back to his talking point, relying on etymology to assert the unearned status of the allowance that he believes to be the norm:

"You're just allowed to have it. That's why they call it allowance."

(January 22, 2012)