there must be a name for the phenomenon of coming across a new word (or object or idea or anything) and then suddenly seeing it everywhere. coincidence, synchronicity, whatever; about a month ago i mentioned in my post on the NZ elections the use of the word “tranche” in the national party’s manifesto. a couple of weeks later, i came across it in a totally different context – a book by australian performance artist fiona mcgregor, recounting her 2006 tour of poland. on page 123 of “Strange Museums” she writes: “The entire western tranche of ethnically cleansed Poland was filled with peasants with their eastern accents and eastern ways.” both the national party manifesto and mcgregor use tranche in a geographical context, referring to places of human habitation. and today i’ve come across it for the third time in almost as many weeks, this time used in its more typical context – finance and economics. NZ green party MP sue bradford, lamenting the new government’s decision to end the successful “buy kiwi made” campaign, said: “The decision to stop the last tranche of funding going through for the Buy Kiwi Made campaign is in effect economic sabotage.” thus “tranche” has well and truly entered my vocabulary. i shall now endeavour to use it myself, casually dropping it into conversation and slipping it into emails …