Common Catachresis - "Full time employment" (was RE: Tips for Second Interview)

["Dori Green" <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>]

James Barrow wrote,

"...they wanted full time employment.
Again, another disappointment since I explained that the contract was for
3-4 months."

**************

I'm sure that Jim didn't mean any insult to the thousands of "temporary" and "contract" workers who put in a full 40 hours or more every week.

As a former contractor who regularly worked 40-60 hours per week, I really do wish that everybody in the world would stop using "full time" as a synonym for "permanent".  I know that you know that I know that there's really no such thing as a "permanent" job any more, and I know that you know that I know that you didn't mean to be insulting but darn it, it is, and there it is. 

This is a great example of "catachresis", in case anybody was looking for one.  

<OT -- Or if you were looking for a good name for a cat after you've decided to include "cat" or "kitty" in their name, such as "Serious Catachresis Otherwise Known As Phred".  Lin, is your monitor still clean or did I just make you spit coffee on it?  I knew you'd get the language-junkie joke built into that name.  Which is how I discovered "catachresis" in the first place.  And now we return you to your regular on-topic post.>

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source cat·a·chre·sis       (k?t'?-kr?'s?s)  Pronunciation Key  
n.   pl. cat·a·chre·ses (-s?z) 

The misapplication of a word or phrase, as the use of blatant to mean "flagrant." 
The use of a strained figure of speech, such as a mixed metaphor. 


[Latin catachr?sis, improper use of a word, from Greek katakhr?sis, excessive use, from katakhr?sthai, to misuse : kata-, completely; see cata- + khr?sthai, to use; see gher-2 in Indo-European roots.] 



Dori Green 
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