Well, my objection to the use of WOMBAT (the phrase, that is) is that it
sounds cutsy and derogatory. If I were telling a neighbor that I thought
he was doing something rather old-fashioned by "using WOMBAT measures", and
explained what the term meant, he would think that I was telling him that
he was a bad person. At least there is an implication to that effect. And
that would be very counterproductive.
In writing, a reader I was trying to convince would think that this is a
somewhat rude term coined by metric boosters to put down everyone else. It
is somewhat less than neutral, in other words. This is important point
when trying to convince people.
I don't know what the solution is. I prefer to use the old "ifp",
inaccurate as it is, at least in writing.
HARRY WYETH
