Before an issue of TIME goes to press, a short may turn into a parmark (only to be outspaced later), a twin-bed position may be dummied, a stringer queried for a checking poin't, a widow picked up near the NA researchers' bullpen, and double trucks left bleeding in the gutter.

Meanwhile, circulation may be Ivoking for a third-class monarch with a Paris chit, sending flash acks for unflushed giftees, or getting a nonconvertible yen for an over-the-transom order.

Almost every business has its own specialized speech and the above paragraphs are written in the trade talk of the printing and publishing business, with a few words and phrases peculiar to TIME itself. I thought you (both subs and NS readers) might enjoy translating the apparent doubletalk. Here is a glossary of some of the everyday expressions used in TIME'S editorial circulation, advertising and production departments: Bioperse (n.) : Biographical and personality material.

Bleed (v.i.) : To print over the margin to the edge of a page.

Broken-down figure (n.) : A statistic reduced to its component parts.

Bullpen (n.) : The area assigned to a department's researchers.

Cage date (n.) : Arrival date of circulation mail.

Checking point (n.) : A fact which needs further checking for accuracy.

Ck Tk: Will be checked later (check to come).

Dealer's draw (n.) : Number of copies a newsstand receives.

Double truck (n.): Two-page ad on facing pages.

Drop-off point (n.) : Place where copies of TIME come off a plane, train or truck.

Dummy (v.t.) : lay out a sample issue of the magazine, showing where editorial material and ads will be printed.

Flash ack (n.) : A card acknowledging a subscription or inquiry.

Flushed giftee (n.): Recipient of a gift subscription whose name has been checked against the subscriber list.

Green (v.t.) : To indicate possible additions or deletions in a story if needed for reasons of space.

Cutter (n.) : Space between facing pages.

Kill (v.t.) : To eliminate all or part of a story.

NA : National Affairs section.

Nonconvertible yen (n.); Japanese currency which cannot be converted into dollars.

NS (n.) : .Newsstand.

NV (n.) : New version of story.

Outspace : To drop a story for space reasons.

Over-the-transom order (n.) : Unsolicited subscription or advertising order.

Packet (v.t.) : To send story material by means other than wire.

Paris chit (n.) : Small enclosure in a mailing from Paris.

Parmark (n.) : One of a list of items preceded by paragraph symbols (41).

Query (n.) : A request for information sent to a correspondent.

Red (adj.): Mandatory change in a story, as red kill.

Red check (n.) : Verification of a fact from a primary source or authoritative reference work.

Roundup (n.) : A story which draws on a large number of areas for its facts.

Seepage (n.): Small net decrease in circulation, resulting from temporary suspension of subscriptions.

(Opposite of creepage.) Short (n.) : A story of 30 lines or less.

Short short (n.) : A story under ten lines.

Staffer (n.) : Staff correspondent.

Stringer (n.) : Part-time correspondent.

Sub (n.) : Subscriber.

Third-class monarch (n.) : A 3 1/2-by-7 1/2 envelope, open at one end.

Twin-bed position (n.) : Two ads for one advertiser, running on either side of an editorial column.

Update (v.t.): To report newest facts on a situation.

Widow (n.) : A short line at the end of a paragraph. (Picking up a widow means cutting enough words out of the paragraph to eliminate the short line.) Cordially yours,

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.