Home Subjects Archives Quotations
Search: Search Tips

glide path noun. The desired or prescribed path to reach a goal.

Example Citation:
"Though there are many today who say 'I told you so,' in retrospect it is clear that the vision of Oslo as a gentle glide path to peace was mistaken."
—Editorial, "The Taba delusion," The Jerusalem Post, January 29, 2001

Notes:
Today's phrase hails from aviation where it refers to an aircraft's path of descent, which is shown to the pilot by means of a radio beam.

Glide path is on a lot of lips these days because U.S. Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan used the phrase in a recent session before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee:


"The time has come, in my judgment, to consider a budgetary strategy that is consistent with a preemptive smoothing of the glide path to zero federal debt or, more realistically, to a level of federal debt that is an effective irreducible minimum."
—Alan Greenspan, "Alan Greenspan Testifies Before the Senate Budget Committee," FDCH Political Transcripts, January 25, 2001

Related Word:
Greenspeak

Subject Category:
Technology - Aviation

Posted on February 1, 2001 at 1:09 PM
Updated on February 1, 2001 at 1:09 PM


 Recent posts:
  jingle mail
  tuxeda
  boreout
  scuppie
  allergy bullying
  IMBY
  agflation
  mullet strategy
  walkshed
  daughter track
 Alphabetical archives:
  A B C D E F G H I
  J K L M N O P Q R
  S T U V W X Y Z #
 Other links:
Top 100 Words

Recent Words

Recent Quotes

Word Spy, The Book

Word Spy Citations

Feedback

My Favorite Words

My Neologisms

Paul McFedries



Copyright © 1995 - 2008 Paul McFedries and Logophilia Limited