The other day as I was writing in my work-in-progress, I hit a spot where my heroine’s mother is pushing an eligible man toward the heroine (metaphorically, or course, LOL), and my heroine reminds her that she is all but engaged–to which Mama says, “It never hurts to have a backup plan.”
But wait–a warning bell went of in my mind. Backup plan. Was that too modern for 1861? A quick hop over to www.etymonline.com and I knew that, yep, it was way too modern.
Back up dates from 1767, but in the sense of “stand behind and support.” This is the verb use, what someone does for you or that you do to corroborate facts, perhaps. Evidence will back up a theory, that sort of thing.
The noun form meaning “standby, reserve” didn’t come to us until 1954.
But this was one of those that left me staring at the computer with lips pursed and thoughts racing. How in the world could Mama phrase this, then? I ended up using “secondary.” But it’s obvious I need a better backup plan for when I can’t use “backup plan.” 😉
On a side note, my Annapolis Blog Tour is underway! Check out the Colonial Quills for my interview there, and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy, and rack up a few more chances to win my Great ANNAPOLIS Giveaway while you’re at it!
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Oooh – that IS a hard one to replace! Love these posts. Thanks, Roseanna!