Aren't there words that come into usage and they are unendingly repeated? Is pivot one of them? I see it in the Globe and Mail, and in google headlines all the time.
Pivot tables started off in lotus, then moved on to excel. They let you switch columns with rows so one could change the layout of a table's information. And then those who enjoy basketball will know the action of pivoting.
That's pivot as a verb. It seemed to me that the pandemic press got hold of it, and off it went.
It has had quite a long life as a popular phrase: the tech industry turned it into one of their "unofficial" strategies - coined in 2009. Here's how it is used: "Represents some of the best methodology that the Valley has invented. Starting something, determining it's not working, and then leveraging aspects of [that] technology is extremely powerful."
What does Forbes think pivot means? "Flip flop". "You pivot as many times as you can, as fast as you can, until you run out of money." Or, if you're outside of the tech industry, just until you're dizzy. The Atlantic is more direct: "you mess up and need to start over, just call it a "pivot" and press on."
The TV series that took on the expression "Pivot" is Friends. It is the sofa up the stairs episode that brought this about:
“I can handle this. Handle is my middle name. Actually, handle is the middle of my first name.” (Chandler)
Ross: “Pivot! Pivot! Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!” (while trying to lift his sofa up a flight of stairs) Chandler: “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”
Pivot is one of those inflated expressions so it must have a few jokes:
I won $4 during the Mega Millions lottery today Please respect our privacy as our family decides how to move forward in this exciting and pivotal moment in time.
I recently had surgery on my knee and have been going to physical therapy every week. It’s pivotal to my recovery.
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