"Forty, love" - tennis score, but what origin?

[occam]

I am puzzled by the scoring system for tennis. I can cope with the
random progression "fifteen, thirty, forty, game" but where does "love"
come from?

And how do the French (sticklers for not adopting English terminology)
say it? "Quarante, amour? Didn't think so.
I would love to know.

[Richard Owlett]

Seems there is no consensus. See
https://www.google.com/search?q=tennis+scoring+love+origin

[Pablo]

I thought it *was* French "L'oeuf" (sp?) The egg - shape of a zero.

--

Pablo

http://www.ipernity.com/home/313627
http://paulc.es/

[Whiskers]

On 2013-11-17, occam <oc...@127.0.0.1> wrote:
> I am puzzled by the scoring system for tennis. I can cope with the
> random progression "fifteen, thirty, forty, game" but where does "love"
> come from?

Not random. Using a clock face as the score-board, move the minute hand
forwards by one quarter hour each time the player scores. Read the
number of minutes shown in the chapter ring: 15, 30, 45, and 60 for
'game over'. To accommodate the 'deuce' rule, put the hand on 'forty
minutes' for the point following '30' and then to the third quarter hour
if 'deuce' is reached.

> And how do the French (sticklers for not adopting English terminology)
> say it? "Quarante, amour? Didn't think so.
> I would love to know.

<http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/tennis.htm>

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

[John Dean]

"occam" <oc...@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:l6aggm$5d6$1...@dont-email.me...

Quadrant zero.

--
John Dean

[abc]

But the one based on French "l'oef" is the one that makes
the most sense. The other alternative explanations seem
really far-fetched imho.
abc

[jerril...@gmail.com]

It's far from a "random" progression. Do some damn research.

[J.R. Hartley]

Do you realise you are responding to a 5 year old post? Read the
time-stamp in the subject line before you respond.