Deadline!

Deadline. A word that leaves many of us trembling in fear. Why the heck is it called a DEAD line, anyways? Couldn’t it be something more encouraging? It turns out, a deadline was an imaginary circle that held prisoners during the American Civil War. Captured soldiers could move about within the circle, but if anyone tried to step over the line, they were shot dead.

In the early 19th century, after the advent of the printing press, a deadline referred to a line past which the press would not print (where the page would end). Sometime in the 1920’s, deadline became synonymous with time limit in the publishing industry. While it’s a fascinating story, I don’t really feel like getting shot, so I’m going to end this and work to meet my own deadlines.

Until next time!