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Reader question: Please explain “stock response” in this sentence (Saying sorry is not enough. The church has got to change, The Observer, March 21, 2010): Usually, when old and powerful institutions are found guilty of some systemic failure, the stock response is to promise reform. My comments: A stock response is a routine response to a typical question. Understand “stock response” as a response “in stock”. Goods in stock are finished products kept in the warehouse, ready to be shipped to the customer as soon as payments are made. In the above example, “the stock response” implies that the church has given a pat answer, that is, a run-of-the-mill, going-through-the-motion, non-committal reply. Therefore, it might be just another empty promise. It sounds insincere. In other words, a stock response is the standard reply one generally expects to get. It’s a ready, pre-prepared answer people have for a given situation – one that’s given everyday. If you write in applying to a job, for instance, and they don’t want to give the job to you, they might give you a stock reply saying: “We no longer have the advertised vacancy. Thank you for your application and we’ll be in touch with you if and when the next vacancy becomes available.” They may no longer have the vacancy – having hired someone else – or they may still have it. By giving you that kind of “stock reply”, they get rid of you without appearing to hurt your feelings. | 
