Ex parte and Lingerie

Last Wednesday, I went to my favorite Toastmasters group (Toastmasters is a nonprofit that teaches public speaking and leadership skills). During every meeting we have Table Topics, in which we have a Table Topics Master assign topics to speakers randomly, and then the speakers talk for a few minutes about the topic. If you know about the subject you can go for it, but if you don't, you can "dazzle with BS," as one of our veteran members likes to say.

The week's table topics came from Black's law dictionary. The Table Topics Master, a local attorney, thought (however sadistically) that we might enjoy talking about legal subjects.

The first topic: ex parte. The Table Topics Master called on one woman in our group. She started off, "Thank you Mr. Table Topics Master, Fellow Toastmasters, and most welcome guests...ex party." (She pronounced it party). A blank look crossed her face, but then she began to smile. We knew some dazzling BS was in store, and she didn't disappoint. The topic became a mini speech about lingerie parties, "ex party" style. I would tell you the rest, but I have been sworn to secrecy.

If you want to know the real definition, you can always follow the link: http://blackslawdictionary.org/ex-parte/. It basically means "on one side only," which I'm sure would be a lot less exciting to hear about during a Table Topic.

My point is, there are so many legal words that can't be discerned at first glance. Love it or hate it, the language of the law is a beast of its own. But hey, if you don't like legalese, you can always join the "ex party" crowd.

Cheers,
Gina :)