Archive for the ‘language’ tag
confused…
I thought the word revert meant
to return to a former habit, practice, belief, condition, etc.
At least, that is what dictionary.com tells me. I’m having trouble reconciling its meaning with its usage.
what a wonderul[sic] day to revert to the alma-mater and get nostalgic…
Well, that was the most appalling misuse to date, that I had seen. But how many of you have missed the following gem?
Please revert back to me/us as soon as possible with <insert whatever document or changes or information the person is asking>
I/We shall revert back to you as soon as possible with <insert whatever document or changes or information you are asking>
This particular usage is shockingly common - at least I’ve seen my unfair share of it while I’ve been at Direxions. That it doesn’t reflect on the language skills of Direxions executives is apparent - because I have heard this phrase when I called the HSBC helpline too.
The closest approximation I can get to is : revert back equals report back or get back. I wonder whether this deliberate misuse is taught in the management schools.
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