@gbutler - pub being shorthand for publicize is a great way to understand the mechanic.
I question, however, whether this formulation can stick. I doubt anyone will consider bare pub to mean publicize, when it's effect the same as public in other languages. Though it is unlikely to be well received, I wonder whether redefining pub to mean publicize means it should always specify its target (for pragmatic reasons, this would be enforced by a warning lint).