This is a short diary to announce the discovery of a new word: "palinscope."
This word was discovered while reviewing the recent history of the Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. When Ms. Palin was thrust upon the national stage by her nomination by Republican presidential candidae John McCain as his running mate, she was clothed not only in the most expensive Neiman-Marcus fashion lines, but she was wrapped in the most exquisitely tailored story lines as well.
This has led to a plethora of investigative reporters looking back into the facts and history behind the stylized wardrobe of labels such as "hockey mom," "small town mayor", and "fighter against the big oil companies" and the reports of their discoveries.
The most recent revlation that in fact Ms. Palin's legendary great fight against the oil companies was not so much a fight against big oil as it was a lobbying effort for the pipeline companies, and one pipeline company in particular, TransCanada.
This phenomenon of one report after another looking back into Sarah Palin's history to discover that the present story is not supported by the facts led me to search for a word that encapsulates this process. Beginning with a search for an allerative word I found "palindrome" which means "running back" for a word or number that is the same running forwrd and back, such as "1771" or "racecar."
Finding that "palin" is from the Greek meaning "back" or "again" I remembered that "scope" means to see or watch. The word "palinscope" was thus discovered to mean the process of seeing back into the past to discover the facts about the story being told today.
palinscope
Pronunciation: \ˈpa-lən-ˌskōp\
Etymology: palinskopos looking back again, from Greek palin back, again + Greek skopos watcher.
verb:
- looking back to discover the facts.
- comparing the present with the past to discover the descrepancies.
noun:
- an instrument used to look into a person's or thing's past exposing the differences in the representations of the present with the past.
- a report relating the discovery of the facts behind a story, especially detailing the descrepancies.
Usage: The Associated Press story on Gov. Sarah Palin's signature accomplishment -- a contract to build a 1,715-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from Alaska to the Lower 48 -- is another revealing palinscope.