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ImageSMART TALK
by Dr. Shirley Glibb

DECIMATED:  Scoop Johnson reported in the Underbelly Prerecorder that all the churches in Underbelly, Texas, had decimated its tax base.  He meant destroyed, but he was, ironically, closer to the truth than he realized.

To decimate used to mean to destroy or take a tenth, which is about what the proliferating churches have done.

But definitions can flipflop in English.  For years, the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired has tracked "sanction," which is about halfway through its transformation, meaning either "grant permission" or "prohibit."  Now, "decimate" means to destroy all but a tenth.

To avoid confusion, the Institute advises not using the word at all.

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