vertically challenged (person)
very small
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Being one of the VERTICALLY CHALLENGED has been a pretty tall order for most of my life, but as I get older the challenge seems to be getting bigger.
(The Sun Journal, Maine USA)
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The staff at the hotel was helpful and polite, except the VERTICALLY CHALLENGED barman, who couldn't wait to go home from the moment he arrived.
(holidaywatchdog.com)
(The Sun Journal, Maine USA)
---
The staff at the hotel was helpful and polite, except the VERTICALLY CHALLENGED barman, who couldn't wait to go home from the moment he arrived.
(holidaywatchdog.com)
Did you
know?
vertically challenged
adjective, slang (humorous)
- not tall in height; short
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Singer-songwriter Randy Newman wrote a satirical song in 1977 about short people in which he sings:
Short people got no reason to live
They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around
Telling great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
The song was controversial back then because many people interpreted it as discriminatory. Newman was actually using satire to attack discrimination, be it due to race, colour, nationality or physical features. He just happened to pick height as an example.
On the one hand, discrimination should not be taken lightly, as history has shown how horrible the consequences can be. On the other hand, it can result in over-exaggerated reactions, changing a language by filling it with politically-correct expressions. Vertically challenged is a perfect example. Imagine for a moment if the story of Snow White were first published today under the title "Caucasian Woman and the Seven Vertically-Challenged People."
All of us know someone who is "challenged" in some fashion. If a situation calls for a more diplomatic approach when dealing with such people, there is no need to offend them. Simply use the following terms:
overweight = gravitationally challenged
stupid = intellectually challenged
ugly = aesthetically challenged
smelly = odorously challenged
hard of hearing = auditorily challenged
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SYNONYMS
diminutive, petite, pint-sized, puny, short, small, teeny
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Many automobiles are not designed for the vertically challenged."
adjective, slang (humorous)
- not tall in height; short
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Singer-songwriter Randy Newman wrote a satirical song in 1977 about short people in which he sings:
Short people got no reason to live
They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around
Telling great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
The song was controversial back then because many people interpreted it as discriminatory. Newman was actually using satire to attack discrimination, be it due to race, colour, nationality or physical features. He just happened to pick height as an example.
On the one hand, discrimination should not be taken lightly, as history has shown how horrible the consequences can be. On the other hand, it can result in over-exaggerated reactions, changing a language by filling it with politically-correct expressions. Vertically challenged is a perfect example. Imagine for a moment if the story of Snow White were first published today under the title "Caucasian Woman and the Seven Vertically-Challenged People."
All of us know someone who is "challenged" in some fashion. If a situation calls for a more diplomatic approach when dealing with such people, there is no need to offend them. Simply use the following terms:
overweight = gravitationally challenged
stupid = intellectually challenged
ugly = aesthetically challenged
smelly = odorously challenged
hard of hearing = auditorily challenged
---
SYNONYMS
diminutive, petite, pint-sized, puny, short, small, teeny
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Many automobiles are not designed for the vertically challenged."
