Letter: In Boston, ‘wicked’ means something else

When I heard Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s speech about “wicked” problems the state faces, I knew immediately he was from the Boston area, where I lived for 32 years (“Addressing ‘wicked problems’,” Star-Advertiser, March 15).

I looked him up and found out he was born and raised in Cambridge, Mass. There “wicked” doesn’t mean “evil,” but is used to intensify, such as “very.” So a “wicked” problem is a “very big” problem, such as homelessness.

What fun to hear a “blast from the past.”

Janice Bryan

Kahala

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