Madam, I'm ankled
This L.A. Observed headline -- LeDuff ankles NYT -- has finally pushed me over the edge. Did I miss the memo? When -- and for God's sake, why -- did "ankles" become a preferred headline verb somehow meaning both "quits" and "fires"?
We know the chief culprit: the mockworthy Hollywood trade-mag Variety. We know that "industry journalists" like to use it, that Kevin Roderick has developed a taste, and that actual humans never even think of saying it out loud in a sentence. All well and good. But what specifically is it referring to???
This 2005 William Safire column is surprisingly unhelpful, pointing out mostly that it's a useful equivocation when you can't answer the Linda Thompson question:
"Variety was founded in 1905 and used street lingo," says Tim Gray. "It was fun, and easier to say a play 'had legs,' for example, than to say it had a good chance of running a long time."
Why ankle, which has long had a general slang meaning of "to walk?"
"Hollywood is filled with egos. A lot of times, a studio will tell us that they let somebody go, and the exec will say, 'I wasn't fired, I quit!' Both sides claim it was their decision. We need that equivocation," he said.
Why not depart, leave or exit? Gray's answer: "Ankle is more fun."
Yes yes yes, but if it indeed comes from the UK slang for "to walk," well, you wouldn't really say "LeDuff walks NYT," now would you? My mind, perhaps due to filth, immediately conjures up the unpleasant image associated with the slang phrase ankle-holding (all the more unpleasant when you associate it with Charlie LeDuff). But maybe that's just me; if the phrase makes clear analogical sense to you, please school me in the comments.
At least they used that part of the body for their slang.
It could have been worse.
But then, maybe not.
Think about a headline in Star that reads:
Angelina Ankles Brad.
If it happened to me, I would rather be dumped than ankled.
That way, no one would look at me in a funny way.
This may or may not make sense, but we have all been ankled/fired/dumped at one time or another, and even quit which also means to ankle.
Since I am not doing my brain any favors by trying to analyze this, I will quit writing.
I mean, I will ankle this.
George Vreeland Hill
Posted by: George Vreeland Hill | February 14, 2007 at 07:47 PM
Thank God I'm not the only one who finds Variety-speak completely impenetrable. What's worse is that it's intentionally done this way, assuming everyone else in the universe -- or at least in their readership -- speaks or writes this way. Gah.
Posted by: Rob McMillin | February 14, 2007 at 08:08 PM
No logical or grammatical arguments can I offer, but the phrase always sounded right to my ear as an analogue of "to leave, to quit." I don't think it sounds right as an analogue of "to fire, to terminate," so I'm drawing the line in the sand there, and at some point I'll try to concoct a bunch of proofs that I'm right.
Posted by: Tim Cavanaugh | February 15, 2007 at 08:29 AM
I had that exact reaction to that headline when I read it. His is not an entertainment site, nor is he writing for Variety -- it's an LA news site. I find it way too precious when he uses it.
And as for its meaning...Variety has created a glossary, from which the following was taken:
ankle -- A classic (and enduring) Variety term meaning to quit or be dismissed from a job, without necessarily specifying which; instead, it suggests walking; "Alan Smithee has ankled his post as production prexy at U."
Posted by: Basart | February 15, 2007 at 10:54 AM
It's possible/probably I'm wrong on the firing usage.... When I have time, I'll have one of Basart's interns look into it....
Posted by: Matt Welch | February 15, 2007 at 11:32 AM
More than you'd ever want to know about the history of the verb "ankle" here.
Posted by: Ben Zimmer | February 18, 2007 at 05:25 AM