Andrés
To fold a department/Some departments have folded completely. Reading a press article once, I came across a clause like this: Some departments have folded. Can I use it with an adverb completely; for instance: some university departments have folded completely? Does it mean 'to be closed' as my first impression tells me? If it is correct use do you apply it often? Maybe you prefer some different contruction to express the meaning of closing an institution(I am asking because altough I try to read extensively, I has come across this particular use of 'fold' only a second or a third time.) Thanks in advance!
May 13, 2016 1:19 AM
Answers · 5
Hi. Yes, it means 'shut down' No, you don't need to modify it with completely. Folded is an absolute in itself.
May 13, 2016
"fold" is a pretty common word in the business world. Most dictionaries seem to list it, albeit with the "informal" tag. If you think about the analogy of a bird spreading and folding its wings, or working with a folder open before you, I think the term makes good sense. Another reason it is popular is because the usual closing or shutting down tends to evoke the idea of a physical workplace to "shut down". Nowadays a lot of operations don't have that, so "fold" works perfectly. You close a business much like closing a folder.
May 13, 2016
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