A matter of words

Iain Martin in the Wall Street Journal (i.e. the Murdoch Empire in a lounge suit):

... nobody watching can really be clear on what the Tories are trying to say. What is the difference between a pledge, or a guarantee, or a hope or an aspiration? If they know, they certainly haven’t found a way of communicating it yet.

Lewis Carroll, Alice through the Looking Glass, Chapter 6:

`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'

`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master -- that's all.'

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again. `They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs: they're the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs -- however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'

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