By David T. Jones on February 27, 2017
Washington, DC - Language changes over time. Try reading Shakespearean plays without constant reference to explanatory commentary. Words take on new meanings. “Cute” once meant “short and fat.” Some words are transient—notably “slang” seldom lasts from one generation to the next (or even one year to the next).
Thus anyone still extant who would respond to “Twenty-three skidoo” is not of the current generation. Indeed, even the “It’s cool” of the 1950s-60s is long passé. When “pimp” arrived on the linguistic scene, it had a positive connotation—not a man running a string of whores.
But “illegal” still has a solid basis. If an action is illegal, it is contrary to the law and subject to official sanction. Killing is illegal; assault is illegal; theft is illegal. Trespass is illegal—or is it?
