Reader question:
What does "Plan B" mean, as in this headline: "'Do it yourself' is free trade's best 'Plan B'"?
My comments:
"Plan B" refers to an alternative to the original plan – something to fall back upon when the original plan fails. Or to use a business term, it's a "contingency plan", contingency referring to something unpredictable (and undesirable) that may happen in future, causing disruptions to your original plan.
In short, Plan B is your second option. Obviously, Plan B alludes to Plan A, the first option, the ideal course of action to take. However, "Plan A" is not as popular an idiom as Plan B. And that perhaps has something to do with the popularity of a contraceptive pill.
Plan B, you see, is also a trade mark, the name of the popular emergency contraceptive pill which was approved by American Food and Drug Administration as a prescription contraceptive in 1999. Anyone over the age of 18 can buy them over the counter (in other words, easily) in many cities in the United States.
Taken orally, Plan B is "a progestin-only emergency contraceptive designed to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours after a contraceptive accident or unprotected sex" (Medterms.com) – hence the name, and quite an apt name it is too.
Anyways, with the economy veering towards global recession, more and people are talking about Plan Bs, and usually without mentioning Plan As – presumably having long been thrown out the window.
The moral? Don't get too excited about planning ahead, lest you may end up with nothing but a bunch of changed plans.
Or Plan Bs.
Joking aside, here are media examples:
1. General Motors Corp., asking for as much as $18 billion to keep afloat and survive even worse economic storms, painted the direst portrait to date of what could happen if Congress doesn't quickly step in.
"There isn't a Plan B," said Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson. "Absent support, frankly, the company just can't fund its operations." Without help, the company warned, "the company will default in the near term, very likely precipitating a total collapse of the domestic industry and its extensive supply chain, with a ripple effect that will have severe, long-term consequences to the U.S. economy."
2. PREPARATIONS for the 2010 Soccer World Cup are well on schedule and the reported "plan B" is dead, Danny Jordaan, CEO of the local organizing committee, said yesterday.
"You didn't call a funeral, but I know plan B is dead," said Jordaan of reports that the event might be moved to Australia.
3. The economy is not just affecting people who are already out of work; those who are worried their jobs might be in jeopardy also are experiencing sleeplessness, compromised immune systems, irritability and other precursors to depression.
The best advice Brady said is todevise a "Plan B." By figuring out a plan of action, if you are out of work or think you could be, an action plan can help people feel more in control of their lives.
"Many times if people can start to implement what Plan B is, you don't have that gerbil on a spinning wheel situation, because you are moving a little bit into an action stage, even if you don't have to implement it," he said. "Just knowing precisely what it is, allows the mind to slow down enough to enjoy staying in the present."
威廉王子未婚妻凯特订婚长裙惨遭山寨
双语美文:人生中的“蝴蝶效应”
郎平率美国女排出征北京奥运
北京奥运 贵宾云集
英学生爱提笔忘字 高考竟出题测拼写
北京奥运闭幕式:贝克汉姆“领衔”伦敦8分钟
澳大利亚青年欲破世界最长说唱纪录
做好奥运东道主——怎么招待外国人
台湾女性不惧当“剩女”
阿凡达发光树或成真 未来可代替路灯
双语:《绝望主妇》第七季被爆有新主妇加入
研究发现:人类大脑无法判断对方性别
网通电信宣布:台湾地震受损电缆恢复运作
林赛罗韩感恩节奢侈品店大“血拼”
北京奥运主题歌《我和你》传递温暖
诗词英译:沉醉东风-秋日湘阴道中
巴西男足教练:“奥运会夺金比世界杯夺冠难”
双语:未来“台湾塔”
罗格北京奥运会开幕式致辞全文
英皇后人选引热议 卡梅伦力挺卡米拉
机器人沉睡45年后重见天日
双语:妈咪摇滚DJ席卷纽约
巴基斯坦女运动员:参加奥运就是梦想成真
英国全民打赌:谁为准王妃凯特做嫁衣
纳达尔进入奥运状态
刘欢、莎拉•布莱曼将演唱奥运主题歌
加媒抱怨“亚洲学生太多” 亚裔表示强烈不满
韩电视台曝光奥运开幕式遭谴责
台湾学生数学成绩全球排名第一
牛津字典收录微博词汇 网络用语受宠
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |