It’s playoff time in the NFL. I heard some new phrases this year on broadcasts. One of these was the expression “Completing the Octopus”. An announcer used this phrase after a receiver caught a touchdown pass and followed it up with catching another pass for the two point conversion. 6 points + 2 points = 8 points. 8 = octopus, I guess. I googled “completing the octopus”. It is nowhere to be found. It hasn’t caught on. I bet this announcer got a call from management on Monday telling him he can’t just make up phrases…
Let’s chalk this up as what President Obama would call a teachable moment. It’s pretty safe to say that a phrase shouldn’t be used (certainly not used on a national television broadcast) until it has appeared on an Uncle Tommy’s New Words and Phrases list. I’m sure President Obama would agree. I can’t remember if “teachable moment” was ever on one of my lists, but I bet it was.
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