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Where Did The Phrase 'Black Friday' Come From?
ResumeContrary to popular belief, the phrase "Black Friday" does not come from businesses finally being able to make a profit (getting out of the red and into the black) due to the day after Thanksgiving shopping rush.
Linguist Ben Zimmer joins Radio Boston to reveal the true origin of "Black Friday" — which includes disgruntled police officers, absentee factory workers and worried commercial retailers.
Guest:
- Ben Zimmer, language columnist for The Boston Globe and executive producer of the Visual Thesaurus and Vocabulary.com
This segment aired on November 22, 2012.