Word Nerd Subcommittee on GROW
 

Here is question I am putting before the Word Nerd Subcommittee on GROW.

Is this usage approved in the USA? Should we issue a statement and deplore it?

In all, Reagan grew the federal civilian workforce by about 200,000; (…)

On defense, yes, Reagan grew the Pentagon's budget, but he also negotiated (…)
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/02/what-palin-and-other-gop-leaders-doesnt-get-about-ronald-reagan/71178/

Janice--

I think that this usage has been common only in the past five years or so; that's only an impression, with no data to back it up. It bothered me the first several times I heard it, but I can't say quite why. It just doesn't seem idiomatic or entirely logical. We do grow flowers, and grass, but we don't grow children; "grow" is a transitive verb, but I'm not sure it can take just any object. I wish I could articulate a solid reason for deploring this construction; I would never use it myself.

One word nerd's opinion!

Best,
Jean

I think it's a fairly common usage, especially in the context of government. It's a bit wonky, perhaps, but it generally raises no eyebrows. I think it's pretty much an exact equivalent for the transitive verb "expand."

My first knowledge of this abomination dates from the last millennium, specifically, the Dark Ages of Monica Lewinky and William Clinton. He used it.

It is in fairly common usage, but I'm with Jean on it, and I think it goes something like this:

To grow vegetables, or a beard, or a replacement tail is to take a thing from its origins to its fruition. But Reagan didn't start from scratch when he (allegedly) furthered or expanded the economy's growth. An analogy might be the difference between raising and fostering. Reagan (supposedly) fostered the economy's growth, I raised my green beans.

But that is no more than a stab at it. I am not deeply wedded to this formulation.


David R.

Thank you fellow Word Nerders. I had never seen it before and hope to never see it again.

I wish.

I've heard it over here (UK) for many years, but only in the context of 'grow the business', so I thought it was business jargon 'meaning 'expand, increase or develop'. The examples Janice and others give makes me think the expression has widened in use in the USA.

A footnote taken from the OED

GROW

†e. To cause to increase, to enlarge. Obs.—1

1481 Caxton Godfrey clxix. 250 Whan dauid had regned vii. yere in Ebron he grewe [F. creut] and amended moche this cyte [Jerusalem].

What goes around...

Clive

It seems I should get out more.

1481, eh? Story of my life--I am either too old or too young.

It's very, very common usage in the financial sector. Every firm is expected "to grow revenues", "to grow cash flow" etc., every quarter, so in the context of the budget deficit, it sets off no alarms for me.

But, as David R points out, it's used only where the thing growing already exists.