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"Don't Bush Me"

A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
by Jon Gindick

When Benjamin Franklin lived in Paris, he had an enemy in propaganda,  Lord Stormont,  who consistently put out false information about Franklin's activities and attitudes. When asked to comment about  the British Ambassador, Franklin replied, "That's not a truth. That's a Stormont."

The term "Stormonter" soon became a fashionable word in Paris to describe falsehood, and was a weak pun on the French word   "mentir" , meaning to lie.

Concerned Americans may wish to borrow from Franklin's example and begin using the term "bush" to describe an exageration, an important omission, a misleading comment, or deceitful pattern of behavior.

"You're bushing me, right?" one might say when met with surprising news.

"No bush" could be a hip new way of saying "No lie."  

John Kerry could respond to any Bush accusation, "That's not a truth. That's a bush."

Following Franklin's precedent, even the word "Bu_ sh_ " is a bad pun on the American slang for lie. Simply insert a pause, and the rest will come naturally.

Reference: Walter Issacson, Benjamin Franklin, An American Life, Simon & Schuster, 2003,
page 340.

A BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY