Hacker News Reader

Oh right, the "original meaning" of "smart"... so you must mean "pain or ache"? I really don't see how that's relevant to the article.

Words change, they always have, they always will. Get over it.

And anyway, the article's usage is consistent with the well-established phrase "smart guy", within which the word "smart" carries a sarcastic and derisive tone.

View on HN

> Words change, they always have, they always will. Get over it.

While this is true, I think it is helpful to communication to resist changes to language. This isn't the same thing as opposing change entirely, but language needs to have a certain stability and common understanding to maximize its usefulness.

One of the reasons that English has been so successful as a global business language is its ability to be flexible and splodgable and still make sense.

> I think it is helpful to communication to resist changes to language

Your opinion is wrong. The most widely spoken languages, in every historical period, are the most adaptable. Adaptability is the single most important factor in a language's ability to survive, in a useful/usable/used state, and always has been.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com