You might often hear the name “WIT” used when talking about Women In Trucking. This acronym often provokes some interesting conversations that take us by surprise.
“Wit” is defined as a noun:
1. Speech or writing showing perception and expression.
2. Understanding, intelligence or astuteness
3. Keep perception, intelligent observation
4. Mental faculties, senses.
With these definitions in mind, this article is intended to make you smile while supporting your intelligent perception and astuteness!
A person once asked our Chairwoman of the Board Leigh Foxall if she could pay her annual dues in two installments. Leigh blurted out that she’d be a “half WIT” if she paid six months at a time!
We’ve had to refrain from calling a lapsed member “WIT-less” more than once, and if you have been a member since the beginning, we think you are very “WIT-ty.” If your membership is lapsed, you are “at WITs end.”
Some of our members are wonderful in spreading the word about the Women In Trucking Association and they often urge other people to join. We call these people our WIT-nesses!
If you are a current member of Women In Trucking Association you should be receiving our weekly electronic newsletter, which we have appropriately named, “WIT e-news.”
If you work in the trucking industry, then you probably live by your wits, which means “to provide for oneself by employing ingenuity or cunning, or to live precariously.” Driving a truck would definitely require someone to live by their wits.
To have one’s wits about one means you remain alert and observant, and prepared for anything. Again, those of us in the trucking industry, but especially the men and women behind the wheel are professionals at “having one’s wits about them.”
If you look in a dictionary for words that begin with WIT, you’ll find some related terms, such as “wittily,” which means something is “in a witty manner.” Witticism is a witty remark made by a witster, or someone who is adept in making witticisms.
In an effort to lighten your summer mood, I would like to continue with a quote from Christian Nevell Bovee, a 19th century author who said, “Next to being witty yourself, the best thing is being able to quote another’s wit.”
William Hazlitti, a British writer, once called wit, “the salt of a conversation, not the food.” Ambrose Gwinett Bierce, an American journalist agreed, and defined wit as a noun, “The salt with which the American humorist spoils his intellectual cookery by leaving it out.”
American writer, Mark van Doren called wit, “the only wall between us and the dark.” He viewed the use of wit in conversation as something positive to keep us alert and to enhance the interaction.
If you were taught to “avoid witticisms at the expense of others,” as admonished by Horace Mann, a Massachusetts Congressman, you might not like the label of “Twit” when used to describe someone who is silly or annoying.
Using wit in a conversation might offend others, especially if the comment is directed at the listener personally. English poet, John Dryden remarked that, “Much malice mingles with a little wit.”
This article was meant to bring a smile to your face when you hear the word, wit, and to remind you of the importance of the Women In Trucking Association and our mission to increase the number of women in the trucking industry, as drivers, CEOs, mechanics, safety directors and more.
In closing remember the words of Joseph Addison, an English writer, who said, “He thought he was a wit, and he was half right.”
About the Author
Ellen Voie CAE, President/CEO
P O Box 400 Plover, WI 54467-0400
888-464-9482 920-312-1350 Direct
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