There was a time when the words “double-dip” made me think of my all-time favorite TV show, Seinfeld. The show popularized this description of using a single chip to dip twice into a communal bowl of salsa. Double-dipping a chip was a no-no because it could spread germs from the half-eaten chip into the salsa bowl, potentially infecting all other comers. “That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!” someone yells at George during a party.
(More recently, the Discovery Channel show MythBusters tested this idea. The “myth” that double-dipping spreads germs was “busted” by episode’s end: apparently, the chip and dip were already coated in microbes to begin with, and double-dipping only added “negligible” amount. But I still teach my kids not to double-dip, because some microbes might be nastier than others!)
In an earlier, even more innocent era, double-dip made people think of candy or ice cream – in the UK, there’s a popular sweet by this name, and some may recall double-dip ice cream cones from the 1950s or earlier.
Well, times have changed, my friends, and there’s no clearer indication than the fact that now, the phrase “double-dip” has taken on a far more sinister meaning.
I put on MSNBC to catch up on a few headlines and the screen screamed at me: “DOUBLE DIP FEARED” – in this case, a so-called “double-dip recession.” That is, a recession that began after the investment banks imploded and bad mortgage debt went sky high could now begin all over again, creating a second “dip” in our economic well-being.
According to Investopedia, here’s the definition of a double-dip recession:
“When gross domestic product (GDP) growth slides back to negative after a quarter or two of positive growth. A double-dip recession refers to a recession followed by a short-lived recovery, followed by another recession.”
Dip is a terrific word in this sense. You can picture the “dip” in gross domestic product as graphed on a simple chart. This is clearly the origin of the term: the image of two dips in a line charting the economy’s growth and health. And as a short, well-defined, peppy little phrase it adds an emotional feel that a “negative quarter of growth” just can’t convey.
Fingers crossed that a “double-dip” won’t nip us this time around. How about we come up with an equally lively term for a slow but steady recovery that brings back investment and jobs?
MeredithInk 