cleaning house

[arethinn]

Going through a bunch of old papers and stuff that have been lying around the Acquisitions area (the position has been vacant for about two years, and lots of old stuff seems to have been kept longer than I think is necessary, "just because"), I found the Acquisitions procedure manual ca. 1970s. Here's an interesting tidbit from a letter dated 1972, describing the desirable qualities of a candidate for an Acquisitions Clerk position:

"As important as it is to get along with others, the AC should also be able to not get it on [emphasis mine] with others. The ability to 'rise above it' and to sidestep potentiallt volatile human iteractions... is HIGHLY desirable."

I don't think this phrase meant anything different in 1972 than it does now, so either "JLH" (it's signed only initials) was misusing it, or this is a secondary meaning that hasn't come down to us in the 21st century (closest I can think of that actually carries the meaning of arguing or personality politics is "get into it").

But what a picture...!

Comments

[pope-guilty.livejournal.com]

Getting it on used to mean getting into a fight, or getting amped up. As an example, Steven King's "Rage", published as Richard Bachman, was originally named "Getting It On."

[starlightforest.livejournal.com]

But what about Marvin Gaye?

[glitterychaos.livejournal.com]

I`ll second that, before that phrase picked up sexual meaning, it meant picking fights, or letting others goad you into a fight.

[pope-guilty.livejournal.com]

I imagine it was a double-entendre.

Or maybe Marvin liked it rough.