Today was the first time I heard the word sunsetting to describe something being cancelled or discontinued.

The context was President Trump ‘sunsetting’ Equality, Diversity and Inclusion legislation and the consequent race by business leaders to ditch EDI to gain favour with the new president.

Even in writing that sentence it was easy for me to write the more common word ‘ditch’  for ending something. I could have used ‘dump’.

By using the word sunsetting are the president, big business and the reporting media polishing a turd.

Sunsets and therefore sunsetting suggest a gentle transition towards the bible-blackness of night. A benign feeling of anticipated change.

Unexpected change doesn’t quite fit the sunsetting phrase either.

No lover scorned is ever going to suggest that they were sunsetted.

Words are a constant source of fascination. I love them and sunsets.

Sunsetting not so much.