Dear SIRAISI Tomio <[log in to unmask]>,

re. spinmeister, of whom Safire is one.

'Spin' has acquired a sense in the contemporary media, metaphorically
extended from tennis and golf, that one can impart a different
interpretation to an event than would be straightforwardly obvious.  In
sports, if you want the ball to go a different direction than straight, you
put spin on it; side spin causes it to veer off to one side or the other,
right or left; back spin causes it to stop suddenly, or even back up.  In
billiards (or pool) and among some bowlers, spin is called (apropos of this
group) English.

A spin doctor is a public relations geek whose job is to tell you what a
higher power actually meant to say.  A spinmeister is a spin doctor who is
good at the job.

I trust that your head is no longer spinning.

Spincerely,

Paul T. Wilson

P.S.  A spin to the right (a hook) often times conflicts with a spin to the
left (a slice), one of the classic examples being Jack the Ripper, a slicer
who went after hookers.



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Paul T. Wilson                                   [log in to unmask]
Professor of Reading                   Western Michigan University