- You have reached the number of an uninstalled vice president.
Uninstalled
adjective; analogy
Fired This word is a great euphemism for being fired. It is a great example of a metaphor because it relates to software being uninstalled. Also, one can see that it’s an example of widening (generalization) if he/she views it as anything or anybody that has been put out of work. The term probably originated in the technology community, but it’s a little more widespread today because of the dispersion of computers.
Etymology : From Middle English, from Old English, from Old High German un- “un-,” from Latin in-, from Greek a-, an-, from Old English ne “not” + from Middle English installen “to place in office,” from Middle French installer, from Medieval Latin installare, from Latin in- + Medieval Latin stallum “stall, place,” from Old High German stal + from Middle English, from Old English –ed/-od/-ad, from Old High German -t, from Latin -tus, from Greek -tos
Source : “Dilbertisms” by John Lang
Last modified: 10 June 2008