Calibrating Nonsense

The word 'calibrate', at least according to the OED, always relates to measurement, and as a scientist I spent a lifetime understanding that unless something was measured with a calibrated instrument or technique its measurement was worthless.

Recently, it has become the avowed intention of politicians to insist that their response to someone's action should be 'calibrated'. I assume that what they mean is 'appropriate', because such responses invariably cannot be meaningfully measured. How could we measure the invasion of one country by another, for example?

This misuse is therefore yet one more indication that politicians attain success by knowing absolutely nothing of the real world, as is represented by verifiable science and language. The concepts of law and economics are subjective, allowing politicians to become 'leaders', while remaining thoroughgoing nincompoops.

I'm not sure why you think this misuse is confined to politicians. I've heard it in business and many other settings that have nothing to do with politics.

Perhaps what they really mean is 'calculated' but that word sounds so ... well, calculating, and they don't want to appear Machiavellian...

I think what they mean is for their response to be more accurate because an instrument that has been calibrated is more accurate. It's not that much of a stretch.

The OED also tells us that "calibrate" comes from "calibre" - maybe a calibrated response is one that involves using the correct size of shells?

I think 'appropriate' as in OP or perhaps 'commensurate' would be better. 'Calibrate' to me suggests making sure a thermometer reads the same as another known known to be accurate. In a real life context (in England) if somebody smacks you in the face you're not supposed to pull a gun and shoot them. I don't think a court would say such a response was 'uncalibrated' but they would almost certainly say it was inappropriate (unless you were in fear of your life). I think it's a case of people choosing a 'hard' (or long) word because it sounds better but making the mistake of hitting on one with a fairly narrow scientific meaning.

I can almost excuse it when it is used in a way that could mean 'precise,' as in 'precisely the right degree of response in regard to the provocation.' But it's more likely just another case of a word coming into fashion whether it is being used correctly or not.

Perhaps it's an intermediate stage to use the word 'measured'. Phrases like 'measured response' are consistent with phrases like 'immeasurable damage' and (I think) well accepted.