Fall. Dive. Plunge. Plummet. All are verbs used in headlines today to describe the stock market after the bailout failed to win Congressional approval.
Fall doesn’t quite work for me because it implies some sort of accident was involved.
Dive doesn’t quite fit either because the action calls to mind grace and control. Recall the recent Olympic Games and the finesse of those pool-bound athlete divers. See my point?
Plunge is better because the action conjures something forceful prompting downward movement. (Greed for instance.)
Plummet. Now there’s an action verb. This is a verb I’d prefer to use to describe an aviation disaster, the kind when one has a mere minute or two to settle up with the Almighty, and then… . If one were to think of "plummet" in this context, it becomes logical also to plug the word into a headline to describe today's events. After all, when it comes time to "take stock," it seems we ought to be thinking Heaven, not investment portfolio.
Of all the tools one can use to stir emotion, language is my favorite. Now excuse me, please, while I gather all my gold in a safe place and inventory my pantry.
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