“That’s what it means,” said the editor. “It means ‘God forbid.’ ‘God prevent.’ Whatever.”
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“Then why don’t we say ‘God forbid?’” said the hombre, waving some clippings under the editor’s nose. He sneered and read aloud. “Tribune editorial page, January 28 — ‘The lawyers swore that Mayor Richard Daley’s regime was abiding by the Shakman decrees against most political hiring. Patronage? Clout? Heaven forfend!’
The editor liked “heaven forfend!” He liked “kerfuffle.” If other papers didn’t use language like that — well, they weren’t the Tribune. He knew of elderly readers in Winnetka who would say the only reason they subscribed was because the Tribune used words that made them think of feather beds. He thought, “There must be a way to have archaic and eat it too.”
“All the way. He says what the Tribune needs is a vocabulary that isn’t tired and worn out. And, of course, some new faces in management.”
