"This Way to the Egress"

       Yesterday's < and  > symbols reminded me of Barnum and Bailey.  As I recall it, they had trouble getting people to leave their great animal show and circus and had the bright idea to put up a sign "This Way to the Egress," with an arrow pointing.  They rightly suspected that most people wouldn't know the word and would imagine finding another exotic animal they'd never seen before.

       The words and arrow led people through a door, and before they knew it, they were outside.

       "Egress" is in the same Latin-sourced basket as "progress"--"go forward" and "regress"--"go backward," and "congress"--"come together" or "go together."  So why not "egress"--"go out"?

        Not so incidentally, on this very day, the U.S. Congress is on the point of "coming together" for the first time in a very long time indeed to pass a bi-partisan bill to keep the country solvent and able to conduct its business!  "Congress" living up to its name?

       Oh, and for Speaker John Boehner, finally a moment of triumph and . . . "This Way to the Egress."