Walk the plank?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="walked">walked</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="quote">quote</span>: “<span word="Whether">Whether</span> <span word="Greece">Greece</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="walked">walked</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="economic">economic</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="political">political</span> <span word="collapse">collapse</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="unknown">unknown</span>.”</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> <span word="thinks">thinks</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Greece">Greece</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="embarked">embarked</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="economic">economic</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="political">political</span> <span word="ruin">ruin</span>, <span word="although">although</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="outright">outright</span>.</p><p><span word="But">But</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="situation">situation</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="pretty">pretty</span> <span word="dire">dire</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="certain">certain</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="speaker">speaker</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="expression">expression</span> “<span word="walked">walked</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span>”.</p><p><span word="Only">Only</span> <span word="unruly">unruly</span> <span word="pirates">pirates</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="committed">committed</span> <span word="capital">capital</span> <span word="crimes">crimes</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="or">or</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="were">were</span>, <span word="were">were</span> <span word="forced">forced</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="walk">walk</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="fall">fall</span> <span word="over">over</span> – <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bottomless">bottomless</span> <span word="sea">sea</span>.</p><p><span word="According">According</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="legend">legend</span>, <span word="captains">captains</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="pirate">pirate</span> <span word="ships">ships</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="carry">carry</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="executions">executions</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="way">way</span>, <span word="centuries">centuries</span> <span word="ago">ago</span> <span word="actually">actually</span>. <span word="To">To</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="it">it</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="install">install</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="plank">plank</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="narrow">narrow</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="wooden">wooden</span> <span word="board">board</span>, <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="side">side</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ship">ship</span> <span word="protruding">protruding</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="water">water</span>. <span word="Then">Then</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="prisoner">prisoner</span>, <span word="often">often</span> <span word="bound">bound</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="blindfolded">blindfolded</span>, <span word="walk">walk</span> <span word="onto">onto</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="walk">walk</span> <span word="toward">toward</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="far">far</span> <span word="end">end</span>.</p><p><span word="And">And</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="prisoner">prisoner</span> <span word="reaches">reaches</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="end">end</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="fall">fall</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="waves">waves</span> – <span word="to">to</span> <span word="drown">drown</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="eaten">eaten</span> <span word="alive">alive</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="fish">fish</span>.</p><p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="conjectured">conjectured</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="pirates">pirates</span> <span word="sometimes">sometimes</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="entertain">entertain</span> <span word="themselves">themselves</span>. <span word="You">You</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="how">how</span> <span word="dire">dire</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="dull">dull</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="lives">lives</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="pirate">pirate</span> <span word="ship">ship</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="anyways">anyways</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="short">short</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="walks">walks</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="doomed">doomed</span>.</p><p><span word="That">That</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="essential">essential</span> <span word="idea">idea</span> <span word="conveyed">conveyed</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="phrase">phrase</span> “<span word="walk">walk</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span>”.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="since">since</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plank">plank</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="invoked">invoked</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="image">image</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="evokes">evokes</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="unmistakable">unmistakable</span>. <span word="Greece">Greece</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="big">big</span> <span word="trouble">trouble</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="probably">probably</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="inevitable">inevitable</span> <span word="ruin">ruin</span>.</p>
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