Building Your Power of Expression

Optics, n., pl.

Pronunciation: ˈäptiks

Meaning: Although this is a plural noun, it is usually treated, in practice, as a singular noun (similar to economics, politics, etc.) While the word originally pertained to the scientific study of sight and the behavior of light, I tend to use the word in a political context to denote the way in which an event or a course of action is perceived by the public.

Usage:

• “From a distance the optics looked terrible, even though the reality was perfectly harmless.”
• “Perception is all there is, and the perception conveyed by these optics is going to end up hurting us.”
• “We made the change not because it was necessary, but because the optics mattered.”