Cross-arty: a rant.

 From the Telegraph online, 29th January 2012.

This week a cross-arty group of MPs [Members of Parliament] launched a campaign to boost the take-up of the vaccine among BAME groups.

Well, it's a good cause, certainly, and of course important people like MPs do tend to have access to the higher pleasures of life, both in sport and also in arty pursuits such as operas and concerts and exhibitions.

I also know, of course, that people in power are either in a struggle for even more power, or else clinging to the precipice of their high position while trying not to lose what power they have. This means that an awful lot of their energy is wasted attacking competitors, or smooching possible allies.

But I really do wish that just for a moment they would all stop being cross.

Word To Use Today: cross. The Old English form of this word was cros. It seems to have come from the Latin crux through the Old Irish word cross. All these words mean cross, as in the shape - which involves, of course, lines going in different directions.

(Yes, I do know that report really meant cross-party, not actually cross-arty But you can learn a lot from misprints.)