Grammar Moses: A lecture about lecterns

My fellow Americans, I stand before you today to tell you that one stands on a podium and behind a lectern to deliver a speech.

On this, I am a traditionalist.

You might think the thing political debaters use to display their notes and hold onto for dear life is a "podium," and you would be in good company. Through long and widespread misuse, it effectively has become a podium. Some dictionaries have declared it so, normally as a final definition.

But the root of podium is "pod," which means foot. A podium in the traditional sense is a low wall, a stage, something to support and raise the stature of the stars of the show. Think of the box an orchestra's conductor stands on.

You've seen plenty of podiums and lecterns during this election season. For the sake of precision, I thought you might enjoy a short glossary.

I'm getting preachy

If a lectern is the stand on which a speaker holds his or her notes, a "pulpit" is a Holy lectern - the raised command center for a minister or priest in a church. "Pulpit" also describes preachers collectively.

A "bully pulpit" is an office or position of authority from which someone can speak out on issues. A bully pulpit is not a physical thing.

While I'm at it, a "jack-in-the-pulpit" is a flower that has a tall stalk shrouded by a spathe. In an abstract way, it resembles a priest in a pulpit; more literally it looks a bit like a calla lily.

Upstaged

So if you stand on a podium and behind a lectern, what do you do with a "dais"?

In my early days as a municipal reporter, a "dais" was that long table from which officials would glower at me as I took notes. Or that's what I was led to believe.

Had I been as curious about words then as I am now, I would have looked up "dais" in the dictionary and learned that it is really no different from a podium. It's a raised platform upon which people of some import stand or are seated. It's a stage.

If you were wondering, a rostrum is the same thing.

Price point

There are certain words or phrases that for some reason make my skin crawl. Some because they are dismissive or smarmy, some because they are hurtful, some because they make no sense, some for reasons I can't put a finger on.

Gal. Man cave. Me time. Curb appeal. No problem. Moist.

And now "price point."

I lay blame for this on the rapid deployment of real estate marketing shows during the last 10 or so years.

In economics, a "price point" is the point on a scale of possible prices on which a product is marketed.

But I hear it being used as a synonym for "price" in conversation all the time. And "price" is what a vendor expects to receive for a transfer of goods.

"What's the price point on that can of chicken noodle soup, honey?" asked no mom ever.

So why would someone who works at an electronics store ask you as you walk down the high-def TV aisle, "What's your price point?"

It sounds pretentious. Better to keep it simple.

Write carefully!

• Jim Baumann is vice president/managing editor of the Daily Herald. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com. Put Grammar Moses in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.