THE VICE-PRESIDENCY: The Veep

How do you correctly address the Vice President of the U.S., a reporter wanted to know. Well, said Alben Barkley in a relaxed moment last week, at work some called him Mr. President (because he is president of the Senate). Some called him Mr. Vice President, which is correct according to Emily Post, but a mouthful, and some still called him Senator. “But my children call me ‘Veep,’ ” he confided.

At week’s end, Barkley discovered that he had added a new word to the language. “Darned if it hasn’t gone all over the country now,” he said. “Every time I pick up a paper I find I’m ‘The Veep.’ “