This is sort of a rant, but not really a Pit-worthy rant.
For maybe the hundredth time I have encountered a news story which used the word “prodigal” incorrectly. The latest offender was Newsweek.
“Prodigal” does not mean “wayward” or “long lost,” yet that is how it’s almost always used in print. Friends, “prodigal” means “spendthrift” or “wasteful.”
I think most people get their idea of what “prodigal” means from the Bible story in Luke Chapter 15, which is often called the parable of the prodigal son.
In the story, the son asks to receive his inheritance while his father is still alive. He then runs off, blows the inheritance, and returns penniless. The father nevertheless rejoices at the “return of the prodigal son.” (The word prodigal is not actually used in the story, but “prodigal son” is the usual title given to the parable.)
Anyhow, the “prodigal” in “prodigal son” does not refer to the fact that the son is returning after a long absence. It refers instead to the fact that he has blown his inheritance. If Newsweek and other media want to use the word in their stories, it would best be applied to, say, Congress.
Please pass this information along.
That is all.