Running up the white flag?
<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="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span>”, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>: <span word="Caught">Caught</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="inflation">inflation</span>, <span word="wage">wage</span> <span word="freezes">freezes</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="job">job</span> <span word="insecurity">insecurity</span>, <span word="shoppers">shoppers</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="running">running</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="spending">spending</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="Inflation">Inflation</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="money">money</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="losing">losing</span> <span word="value">value</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="commodity">commodity</span> <span word="prices">prices</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="going">going</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="furious">furious</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="fast">fast</span>. <span word="Wage">Wage</span> <span word="freezes">freezes</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="employees">employees</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="getting">getting</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="raises">raises</span>. <span word="Job">Job</span> <span word="insecurity">insecurity</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="afraid">afraid</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="losing">losing</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="jobs">jobs</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="then">then</span> <span word="perhaps">perhaps</span> <span word="sometime">sometime</span> <span word="soon">soon</span>.</p><p><span word="Amid">Amid</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="gloomy">gloomy</span> <span word="concerns">concerns</span>, <span word="people">people</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="cutting">cutting</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="spending">spending</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="go">go</span> <span word="shopping">shopping</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="do">do</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="buy">buy</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="before">before</span>. <span word="Before">Before</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="might">might</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="bought">bought</span> <span word="whatever">whatever</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="wanted">wanted</span>. <span word="Nowadays">Nowadays</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="buy">buy</span> <span word="nothing">nothing</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="essentials">essentials</span>.</p><p><span word="And">And</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="asking">asking</span> <span word="them">them</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="shop">shop</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="spend">spend</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="raising">raising</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="pole">pole</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="surrendered">surrendered</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cause">cause</span>. <span word="They">They</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="given">given</span> <span word="up">up</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="accepting">accepting</span> <span word="defeat">defeat</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="see">see</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="piece">piece</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="cloth">cloth</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="symbol">symbol</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="truce">truce</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="surrender">surrender</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="war">war</span>.</p><p><span word="Dictionary">Dictionary</span>.<span word="com">com</span> <span word="suggests">suggests</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="know">know</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="today">today</span> <span word="came">came</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1590–1600, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="ancient">ancient</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Romans">Romans</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="similar">similar</span> <span word="meaning">meaning</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="days">days</span>, <span word="messengers">messengers</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="wave">wave</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="signify">signify</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="d">d</span> <span word="come">come</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="talk">talk</span> <span word="rather">rather</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="fight">fight</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="modern">modern</span> <span word="warfare">warfare</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="soldiers">soldiers</span> <span word="raise">raise</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="white">white</span> <span word="flag">flag</span> <span word="while">while</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="battle">battle</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="put">put</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="arms">arms</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="surrender">surrender</span>, <span word="thus">thus</span> <span word="conceding">conceding</span> <span word="defeat">defeat</span>.</p>
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