Babysitter Wanted - Under The Table Pay
December 18th 2011 07:02
Hey! I have an idea! Why don't I just announce on the Internet that I'm going to break the law?
Yes, somebody really did advertise for this. Unfortunately, I didn't save the ad, so I can't reproduce it here.
The poster was thoughtful enough to announce that the job required the sitter's services during "teacher's hours," so I assume the beleaguered mother who needed the sitter was herself a teacher.
A teacher! A teacher who's out there molding childrens' lives and attitudes and who is
1: Willing to break the law, and
2: Dumb enough to announce it on the Internet.
What is the American education system coming to?
This blog has been about grammar, punctuation, pronunciation, and word usage. I suppose you could put this post in the category of word usage, although in this case, it's more like, "what in the heck are you using these words for?"
Of course, I can't post any comments on language use and misuse without at least trying to talk about the words and phrases themselves. This one has two common meanings:
At least in the US, the phrase "to drink someone under the table" means that in a drinking contest, the participants keep drinking until one of them winds up, literally, under the table.
The other meaning, as used above, refers to money being passed "under the table" – or out of sight, as in the case of covert or undocumented wages that are paid in order to avoid taxes.
I couldn't find much hard information on the origin of the phrase, however. The Online Etymology Dictionary at Really Long Link does give dates of first use for both of these meanings, but without citing specific sources.
Since the advertiser referred to "pay," she presumably isn't planning to drink the babysitter under the table. Thank goodness for that, at least.
| 19 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
