This blog does not do politics, so nothing that follows should be construed as party political. However, the word party has been in the news in the UK a lot recently in relation to the Prime Minister’s official residence at No 10 Downing Street, so it is a word worth looking into.
The Collins dictionary’s main definition of party is: a social gathering for pleasure often held as a celebration. This makes it different from other gatherings, such as work meetings, where minutes are likely to be taken, and the partners and children of the main participants are unlikely to be present (although meetings can, like parties, be held outdoors, and refreshments may be provided).
Party hats, alcohol, cheese and nibbles, dancing, silly games and such like are associated with parties for adults rather than earnest discussion about points of order. Party hats, fizzy drinks, cake and ice cream, and maybe even sillier games, are associated with children’s parties. Such activities distinguish parties from lessons, or field studies that often involve standing around in muddy fields or streams in the rain – environmental conditions guaranteed to put a bit of a dampener on any party.
Obviously, a party needs more than one person to attend; but three or four would probably count as a small party; thirty to forty would be quite an event.
Of course, parties can be much more sober affairs than I have described above – stoke broker belt dinner parties are not noted for their frivolity (even if the wine might be better). On the other hand, parties might be more abandoned – though gatherings involving a lot of partner swapping, nudity, and chandeliers are perhaps better described as orgies.
The great philosopher Wittgenstein talked about the importance of a ‘family’ resemblance between the things that fall into the mix of what a particular word means. For example, a car needs wheels, a steering wheel, and an engine to be so described. It may or may not have a roof, or a manual gearbox rather than an automatic one, but we would still recognise it as a car.
Like-wise with a party: it is not necessary to have party hats, much food, or even any alcohol. But if none of this sort of thing is present, we might feel we’d have been better off staying at home.
We have recently been hearing a lot about certain events in Downing Street and whether or not they were parties as we all understand such things. I will not prejudge the findings of the hapless civil servant brought in to investigate. As she interviews the various people who may or may not have attended a gathering that may or may not have been a party, she should be mindful of the words of another great philosopher – Humpty Dumpty:
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”
Cheers!
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