Worse for Obama fans, meteors burn out before impact. If they actually manage to land, they're meteorites.
However, "meteoric" is widely accepted to mean "like a meteor in speed, brilliance, or ephemeralness". The use of "or" implies validity if any one of those criteria is met.
I see your point, but I would argue that while speed, brilliance, and ephemeralness have nothing to do with direction, the word "meteor" itself implies a direction. Because meteors come to us from space, they have to fall down. I'd be fine with a "meteoric fall" but not a rise.
As you point out, "meteoric rise" is a common phrase, and I probably wouldn't mention my objection to it if somebody used it in a casual conversation. But I tend to hold journalists to a higher standard, primarily because they are more influential than most of us due to the fact that so many people read news articles. In this case, why choose a title that abuses physics when there are plenty of perfectly sensible ways to say it?
What happens when several thousand distinguished physicists, researchers, and students descend on the nation’s gambling capital for a conference? The answer is "a bad week for the casino"—but you'd never guess why.
Lexie and Xavier, from Orlando, FL want to know:
"What's going on in this video? Our science teacher claims that the pain comes from a small electrical shock, but we believe that this is due to the absorption of light. Please help us resolve this dispute!"
Even though it's been a warm couple of months already, it's officially summer. A delicious, science-filled way to beat the heat? Making homemade ice cream.
(We've since updated this article to include the science behind vegan ice cream. To learn more about ice cream science, check out The Science of Ice Cream, Redux)
Over at Physics@Home there's an easy recipe for homemade ice cream. But what kind of milk should you use to make ice cream? And do you really need to chill the ice cream base before making it? Why do ice cream recipes always call for salt on ice?
Worse for Obama fans, meteors burn out before impact. If they actually manage to land, they're meteorites.
ReplyDeleteHowever, "meteoric" is widely accepted to mean "like a meteor in speed, brilliance, or ephemeralness". The use of "or" implies validity if any one of those criteria is met.
I see your point, but I would argue that while speed, brilliance, and ephemeralness have nothing to do with direction, the word "meteor" itself implies a direction. Because meteors come to us from space, they have to fall down. I'd be fine with a "meteoric fall" but not a rise.
ReplyDeleteAs you point out, "meteoric rise" is a common phrase, and I probably wouldn't mention my objection to it if somebody used it in a casual conversation. But I tend to hold journalists to a higher standard, primarily because they are more influential than most of us due to the fact that so many people read news articles. In this case, why choose a title that abuses physics when there are plenty of perfectly sensible ways to say it?
-Buzz