· Heard on the radio news: Meteorology is to blame for the spread of this fire. I suppose we must sue the meteorologists.
According to Wikipedia, Meteorology is the scientific study of
the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena
(i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. Apparently, saying that excessive heat or dryness
is to blame for the spread of the fire is too vulgar, and the news needs to be
phrased in a more scientific way.
· DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) is a molecule that contains the genetic information of living beings. The
idea of identifying it with the properties that define a different entity,
such as a cultural construct or a society, is an ingenious metaphor, but
through overuse and repetition it becomes hackneyed. We hear frequently about
the DNA of a football club, or the DNA of a company, or the DNA of the work of
an artist.
· A variation on the previous case consists of using the word genome instead of DNA with the same meaning, as in this example, which appeared in an article in the Spanish newspaper El País with the following headline: The household genome: the new consumer battle is fought at home.
