Help! Please explain in plain English!
BlackMask
I can't understand. I want to know the meaning of following phrase. Anybody
helps for me? Many thanks for any help.
1. In 1999, if the newly-announced Tour de las Americas management fulfills all
promises, perhaps there may be a great deal more to come for!
2. They say when the fairways at Lima's desert-clad Los Incas club are flooded
on Mondays, the water-flow first passes through a poultry farm so on Tuesdays
the fairways are filled with feathers and players in the white blizzard mark the
balls for those behind.
3. Thumbing through two-decade-old, browning press cuttings of the first
incarnation of the South American tour transmits a shiver of delight at the
grand scheme of yesteryear.
4. Quips flash, retorts faster than beestings.
Thanks,
Black Mask
Lars Eighner
the lovely and talented BlackMask <Blac...@newsguy.com>
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
|I'm reading a golf article about golf of South America. The are some phrase that
|I can't understand. I want to know the meaning of following phrase. Anybody
|helps for me? Many thanks for any help.
|
|1. In 1999, if the newly-announced Tour de las Americas management fulfills all
|promises, perhaps there may be a great deal more to come for!
If they do as they promise, perhaps visitors will have more
reasons to come.
|
|2. They say when the fairways at Lima's desert-clad Los Incas club are flooded
|on Mondays, the water-flow first passes through a poultry farm so on Tuesdays
|the fairways are filled with feathers and players in the white blizzard mark the
|balls for those behind.
The fairways are surrounded by desert, so the fairways must be flooded
on Mondays (because there is no rain to water them). The water for
the fairways is diverted through a chicken farm. The water carries
feathers it picks up at the chicken farm and deposits the feathers
on the fairways. As a result there are many small white objects
on the fairways. (Players would have great difficulty in find their
balls among the numerous other small white objects). So players in
one group indicate where balls have fallen for the players in the
group behind.
|3. Thumbing through two-decade-old, browning press cuttings of the first
|incarnation of the South American tour transmits a shiver of delight at the
|grand scheme of yesteryear.
Twenty years ago there were great plans for the tour, and it is delightful
to contemplate those plans.
|4. Quips flash, retorts faster than beestings.
There are fast exchanges of mots, mostly of the insulting kind.
--
Lars Eighner 700 Hearn #101 Austin TX 78703 eig...@io.com
(512) 474-1920 (FAX answers 6th ring) http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/
Please visit my web bookstore: http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/bookstor.html
* A Semihemidemiquaver gives me a trill!
John O'Flaherty
promises more. If they fulfill their promises, it will be worth going there.
2. Because of the path water took to get to the golf course, feathers are spread
around the grass. This makes it very difficult for players to see where their balls
have landed- a white feather looks like a golf ball in the distance. The players who
are closer to the balls that have landed can see them, and they make some kind of
mark so the following players will be able to see where their balls have landed.
3. Twenty years ago, there was a South American tour (the first one, on which the
present one is modeled). Photographs from it appeared in newspapers. The old
newsprint has turned brown with age. Someone is looking at them, and is delighted by
something grand about them, delighted to the point of shivering.
4. People say clever things, and are answered quickly by clever replies.
( I don't play golf, so #2 is a guess.)
john
BlackMask wrote:
> I'm reading a golf article about golf of South America. The are some phrase that
> I can't understand. I want to know the meaning of following phrase. Anybody
> helps for me? Many thanks for any help.
>
> 1. In 1999, if the newly-announced Tour de las Americas management fulfills all
> promises, perhaps there may be a great deal more to come for!
>
> 2. They say when the fairways at Lima's desert-clad Los Incas club are flooded
> on Mondays, the water-flow first passes through a poultry farm so on Tuesdays
> the fairways are filled with feathers and players in the white blizzard mark the
> balls for those behind.
>
> 3. Thumbing through two-decade-old, browning press cuttings of the first
> incarnation of the South American tour transmits a shiver of delight at the
> grand scheme of yesteryear.
>
> 4. Quips flash, retorts faster than beestings.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Black Mask
BlackMask
phrases that I can't understand. I need for your kind help for understanding
these.
1. The millions of miles he has clocked up over the past 45 years while flying
from his southern-hemimsphere home to the world's principal golfing playground -
most notably the United States and Europe - exceed in all probability the career
totals of many professional pilots.
2. First it was the lure of prizemoney, titles and glory - the thrill of his
role as the underdog overcoming insurmountable odds - but more recently he has
been motivated by the pursuit of a different type of excellence, one for which
his parallel career as farmer has thoroughly prepared him.
3. He had his first introduction to the development at West Nyack in Rockland
County which became Manhattan Woods as long ago as 1991.
4. "Now wouldn't that be something," mused the man who put Manhattan Woods on
the map.
Many thanks for any help,
Lars Eighner
|I'm reading a golf article about Manhattan Woods Golf Club. There are many
|phrases that I can't understand. I need for your kind help for understanding
|these.
|1. The millions of miles he has clocked up over the past 45 years while flying
|from his southern-hemimsphere home to the world's principal golfing playground -
|most notably the United States and Europe - exceed in all probability the career
|totals of many professional pilots.
He has probably traveled more (in his golfing career) than many
professional pilots (who fly airplanes for a living) because he
lived in the southern hemisphere and most important golf courses
are in the United States and Europe (in the northern hemisphere).
|2. First it was the lure of prizemoney, titles and glory - the thrill of his
|role as the underdog overcoming insurmountable odds - but more recently he has
|been motivated by the pursuit of a different type of excellence, one for which
|his parallel career as farmer has thoroughly prepared him.
At first he sought fame and fortune (as a golfer), but now he
pursues another (unspecified) goal which involves skills he
learned as a farmer (probably he now designs or cares for a golf
course or golf courses).
|3. He had his first introduction to the development at West Nyack in Rockland
|County which became Manhattan Woods as long ago as 1991.
He first went to an area in West Nyack in 1991. This area has since
become Manhattan Woods (golf course). [This is horrible English.]
|4. "Now wouldn't that be something," mused the man who put Manhattan Woods on
|the map.
He made Manhattan Woods well known. He contemplates some future event
or accomplishment which he would consider remarkable.
--
Lars Eighner 700 Hearn #101 Austin TX 78703 eig...@io.com
(512) 474-1920 (FAX answers 6th ring) http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/
Please visit my web bookstore: http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/bookstor.html
* I have not been at either end of a cocaine-numbed penis --D.M. Procida
BlackMask
use the English their native language feels like that English is a barrior. But
thanks to help of people in this newsgroup, I have overcame the difficulty. I
always think to thank about that.
Once again, I want to request your help. Here are the phrase that I can't
understand. These are the parts of the article about South American golf tour.
1. It is the Phoenix of all golfing birds, emerging each time more gilded and
replumed, more Mayan than Greek legend.
2. Every seven years or so, the fading embers gently stirred, another South
American Tour is reborn.
3. Or is it all a trick of the Southern Hemispher's morning light where the
continent's famed author-surrealist, Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, lift a fluttering curtain in the shimmering mist to bid us welcome to
no more than illusion.
4. New venues planned for the Carribean are especially welcome as they will
showcase the tour in North America.
5. Mid-Nineties' outline plans to bring a series of Nike events to Costa Rica,
Argentina and Chile foundered when adequate sponsorship was not forthcoming.
6. Journalists from the entire continent turned tour groupies and finally, after
two months of nomadic wanderings and with clubs, bags, balls and umbrellas
stowed away in Colombia's port town of Cali - long before a cartel was anything
more than a grocer's alliance - it was time to look back and assess the issues.
7. Between th lines, however, there is a sense of camaraderie, genuine
friendship, our journey a cameo of each day met with a sense of purpose,
elation, the possibility of a top-place finish.
8. As we reach the final hotel, the more adventuresome having hopped off to try
their luck at the hores-race track, the last player adds; "That's my family for
two months. Pretty lucky, huh? We even get to play golf as well!"
Many thanks for any
John Doherty
Man, you read some really poorly-written stuff. I can't help too much, but
I'll try.
| 1. It is the Phoenix of all golfing birds, emerging each time more gilded and
| replumed, more Mayan than Greek legend.
A "phoenix" is a mythical bird that after burning itself to ashes, arises
again from those ashes. I'm not sure what that has to do with golf.
| 2. Every seven years or so, the fading embers gently stirred, another South
| American Tour is reborn.
"Fading embers" and "reborn" here are references to the mythical bird above.
| 5. Mid-Nineties' outline plans to bring a series of Nike events to Costa Rica,
| Argentina and Chile foundered when adequate sponsorship was not forthcoming.
"Mid-Nineties" seems like it must be some company that stages golf tournaments,
and they planned to stage some in Costa Rica, Argentina, and Venezuela, but
Nike (an American shoe manufacturer) wouldn't provide the money for them to
do that.
Can I ask you where you found this stuff? It's unusually awful writing, so
I'm curious.
Lars Eighner
|I'm a person lived in a country in Far Easter area.
(I am a person who lives in the Far East.)
|The people like me who don't
|use the English their native language feels like that English is a barrior.
(People like me, whose native language is not English, feel that
English is a barrier.)
|But
|thanks to help of people in this newsgroup, I have overcame the difficulty.
(But thanks to the help of people in this newsgroup, I have overcome
my difficulties.)
|I
|always think to thank about that.
(I am grateful for their assistance.)
|Once again, I want to request your help. Here are the phrase that I can't
|understand.
...(Here are the phrases that I can't understand.)
These are the parts of the article about South American golf tour.
To understand this passage better, you must know something about
the phoenix. The phoenix is a mythological bird. According to
the legend, the phoenix lives 500 years, then bursts into flames,
and rises alive from its ashes to live another 500 years and repeat
the cycle. In literary references, the phoenix is, then, something
that appears reborn or renewed after it appears to have been destroyed.
As with most of the golf material you have asked about, the writer
has attempted a style of writing that is a little beyond his skills.
|1. It is the Phoenix of all golfing birds, emerging each time more gilded and
|replumed, more Mayan than Greek legend.
I do not understand the Mayan reference here. Perhaps there is also
a Mayan legend like the Greek legend of the phoenix. What we know of
Mayan culture does suggest that Mayans had sacred birds and made use
of bird feathers in elaborate ceremonial costumes. Perhaps the writer
hopes to suggest something about the South American setting of his
story. But, if so, the writer is in error. The Mayan homeland was
in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and Central America, not South
America. Descendants of the Mayans still live in Mexico and some
still speak the Mayan language.
From the context, I cannot be sure what "It" refers to. I assume
"it" is a golf tour. The writer is saying it springs to life from
time to time when people might think it is dead or defunct.
|2. Every seven years or so, the fading embers gently stirred, another South
|American Tour is reborn.
The phoenix is reborn from its own ashes. The writer says that the
South American Tour is like the legendary bird (but it returns
after about seven years instead of after 500).
|3. Or is it all a trick of the Southern Hemispher's morning light where the
|continent's famed author-surrealist, Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcia
|Marquez, lift a fluttering curtain in the shimmering mist to bid us welcome to
|no more than illusion.
I don't understand these references. Borges and Marquez are writers,
but I know nothing of their work.
|4. New venues planned for the Caribbean are especially welcome as they will
|showcase the tour in North America.
The tour organizers would be happy to include Caribbean golf courses
in the tour because this would be likely to attract the attention of
North Americans.
A showcase is a glass box in which a merchant puts his goods to display
them to customers. "To showcase" is to display something in the
way a merchant would display goods in order to attract the attention
of customers.
|5. Mid-Nineties' outline plans to bring a series of Nike events to Costa Rica,
|Argentina and Chile foundered when adequate sponsorship was not forthcoming.
The organizers planned events in Costa Rica, etc., using money from
Nike, a company which makes athletic shoes. Nike did not offer enough
money. Therefore the plans could not be acted upon.
|6. Journalists from the entire continent turned tour groupies and finally,
|after two months of nomadic wanderings and with clubs, bags, balls and
|umbrellas stowed away in Colombia's port town of Cali - long before a
|cartel was anything more than a grocer's alliance - it was time to look
|back and assess the issues.
A "groupie" is an admirer of a rock band who follows the band from town
to town when the band is on tour. The writer claims journalists became
like groupies and followed the tour. This suggests the journalists
admired the tour too much and failed to be objective in reporting
news about the tour.
The writer says this happened in Colombia at a time before Colombia
was dominated by powerful criminal organizations that trade in
cocaine. These criminal organizations are called "drug cartels"
in the press in the US or sometimes just "cartels." The writer
points out that the word "cartel" did not always suggest a criminal
organization.
The writer says after two months of acting like groupies, journalists
(or someone) decided to review the events of the tour and the
issues concerning the tour.
Perhaps I have mentioned this before, but the golf articles you
have asked about are very badly written.
|7. Between th[e] lines, however, there is a sense of camaraderie, genuine
|friendship, our journey a cameo of each day met with a sense of purpose,
|elation, the possibility of a top-place finish.
Something "between the lines" must be inferred. It is not plainly stated,
but the reader must figure it out from what is stated. The writer seems
to be saying that beyond the plain facts there is something he feels
very good about. But parts of this passage are so poorly written
that they are nonsense. "Our journey a cameo of each day met with a
sense of purpose" doesn't make sense.
|8. As we reach the final hotel, the more adventuresome having hopped off
|to try their luck at the hores[horse]-race track, the last player adds;
|"That's my family for two months. Pretty lucky, huh? We even get to
|play golf as well!"
At the end of the tour, some of the people go to the horse races.
One of the players expresses the thought that he feels as if the
others had become members of his family. He regards this as a
good experience in itself, as if playing golf -- the real purpose
of the tour -- were only some secondary benefit.
--
Lars Eighner 700 Hearn #101 Austin TX 78703 eig...@io.com
(512) 474-1920 (FAX answers 6th ring) http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/
Please visit my web bookstore: http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/bookstor.html
* Happiness is Earth in your rear view mirror.
Robert Bryan Lipton
Black Mask wrote in message ...
>In article <jdoherty-060...@aus-tx30-04.ix.netcom.com>,
>jdoh...@ix.netcom.com (John Doherty) wrote:
>
>> Can I ask you where you found this stuff? It's unusually awful writing,
so
>> I'm curious.
>
>golf club published in England.
Ah. So it must be ironic in the way that only the English can be.
Bob
afar...@trump.net.au
> Once again, I want to request your help. Here are the phrase that I can't
> understand. These are the parts of the article about South American golf tour.
Let me see if I can help you with two of these :
> 1. It is the Phoenix of all golfing birds, emerging each time more gilded and
> replumed, more Mayan than Greek legend.
There are two allusions here I think. One is to the fabulous bird of ancient
myth that burned itself upon a pyre when it reached the age of five hundred,
and arose again from its own ashes; its own mother and father. There is a
famous mosaic at Antioch that shows this creature, with sunrays encircling
its head. It commonly appears in literature as a symbol of death and
resurrection. The second allusion, is *perhaps* a reference from Greek
mythology to the son of Amyntor, king of Thessalian Hellas. After a violent
quarrel Amyntor cursed him with childlessness, and Phoenix escaped to Peleus
(king of the Myrmidons in Thessaly), who made him responsible for the
upbringing of his son Achilles. However, it is harder to connect this
mythological personage to your quotation, except as a paragon of excellence
and beauty.
Second, the phoenix (the bird) was an Egyptian myth absorbed into Greek and
then Roman culture; however, the writer seems to be comparing this 'old
world' version with the even more fabulous and gloriously plumed serpent,
Kukulcán, of the Maya (Quetzalcóatl to the Toltecs and Aztecs).
So, the writing is asserting that (something) bursts out again upon the world
better and more glorious each time. Is it the tour itself? It sounds like it.
> 2. Every seven years or so, the fading embers gently stirred, another South
> American Tour is reborn.
This seems to confirm it; every seven years another tour is, phoenix-like,
reborn from the still-glowing ashes of the last.
>
I'll let others help you with the rest.
Cheers,
AF.
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
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Dale Hagglund
> |3. Or is it all a trick of the Southern Hemispher's morning light
> |where the continent's famed author-surrealist, Jorge Luis Borges
> |and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, lift a fluttering curtain in the
> |shimmering mist to bid us welcome to no more than illusion.
> I don't understand these references. Borges and Marquez are
> writers, but I know nothing of their work.
I don't know about Marquez, but Borges writes what's known as "magic
realism", a literary style primarily associated with Central and South
American authors.
I haven't read either author, so I can't give an accurate description
of what magic realism is, although I believe that one of its
characteristics is the surrealism alluded to the original quotation.
Dale.
Black Mask
Fritz Rathmann
> I don't know about Marquez, but Borges writes what's known as "magic
> realism", a literary style primarily associated with Central and South
>
> American authors.
>
I've never heard the term, but having read Marquez's "100 Years of
Solitude," I think "magic realism" describes the mix of realism with an
undercurrent of almost-but-not-quite-magical events and inexplicable
coincidences. Is there anyone familiar with this genre? Would John
Nichols's New Mexico Trilogy ("Milagro Beanfield War," etc.) fit here
also?
Fritz
John Doherty
| I've never heard the term, but having read Marquez's "100 Years of
| Solitude," I think "magic realism" describes the mix of realism with an
| undercurrent of almost-but-not-quite-magical events and inexplicable
| coincidences.
It's not the worst definition, but the term is "magical realism."
You can't just pile up nouns indiscriminately, at least not in English
usage. Sometimes you really do have to use adjectives, and this is
a case in point.
I'm not sure why it's OK to say "magic tricks" and not "magic realism," but
that's the way it works. Note that "magical tricks," while not particularly idiomatic, is completely intelligible.
Note to Bob Cunningham: I'd like to hear an argument that "magic" and
"magical" in "magic tricks" and "magical tricks" are the same part of
speech. If "magic" is really an adjective, I'd like to know what magic
you use to make it one, because it sure looks like a noun, doesn't it?
Best regards.
Ross Howard
Doherty) wrote:
>In article <36C0B08A...@gasou.edu>, Fritz Rathmann <frit...@gasou.edu> wrote:
>
>| I've never heard the term, but having read Marquez's "100 Years of
>| Solitude," I think "magic realism" describes the mix of realism with an
>| undercurrent of almost-but-not-quite-magical events and inexplicable
>| coincidences.
>
>It's not the worst definition, but the term is "magical realism."
No, it's not. It's *realismo mágico*, which I've only ever seen
translated as "magic realism".
A citation more-or-less-random from the blurb on the back of a
ten-year-old British edition of a collection of translated Latin
American short stories:
"The earlier stories show that the distinctive roots of
Latin American fiction were there long before the term
"Magic Realism" came into existence."
-- Anon. blurb writer, *The Eye of the Heart:
*Short stories from Latin America* (1973);
Howes, Barbara (ed.); London, W.H. Allen, 1988.
"Magical realism" might have been a better translation, it's true, but
-- as with "World Wide Web" -- we get what we get and live with it.
Ross H.
John Doherty
| On Wed, 10 Feb 1999 23:57:58 -0600, jdoh...@ix.netcom.com (John
| Doherty) wrote:
|
| >In article <36C0B08A...@gasou.edu>, Fritz Rathmann <frit...@gasou.edu> wrote:
| >
| >| I've never heard the term, but having read Marquez's "100 Years of
| >| Solitude," I think "magic realism" describes the mix of realism with an
| >| undercurrent of almost-but-not-quite-magical events and inexplicable
| >| coincidences.
| >
| >It's not the worst definition, but the term is "magical realism."
|
| No, it's not. It's *realismo mágico*, which I've only ever seen
| translated as "magic realism".
|
| A citation more-or-less-random from the blurb on the back of a
| ten-year-old British edition of a collection of translated Latin
| American short stories:
|
| "The earlier stories show that the distinctive roots of
| Latin American fiction were there long before the term
| "Magic Realism" came into existence."
|
| -- Anon. blurb writer, *The Eye of the Heart:
| *Short stories from Latin America* (1973);
| Howes, Barbara (ed.); London, W.H. Allen, 1988.
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 12:35:27 -0600
From: jdoh...@gstype.com (John Doherty)
To: jdoh...@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: Help! Please explain in plain English!
Organization: G&S Typesetters
In article <36c2ae9a...@news.iddeo.es>, rossh...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Feb 1999 23:57:58 -0600, jdoh...@ix.netcom.com (John
> Doherty) wrote:
>
> >In article <36C0B08A...@gasou.edu>, Fritz Rathmann <frit...@gasou.edu> wrote:
> >
> >| I've never heard the term, but having read Marquez's "100 Years of
> >| Solitude," I think "magic realism" describes the mix of realism with an
> >| undercurrent of almost-but-not-quite-magical events and inexplicable
> >| coincidences.
> >
> >It's not the worst definition, but the term is "magical realism."
>
> No, it's not. It's *realismo magico*, which I've only ever seen
> translated as "magic realism".
>
> A citation more-or-less-random from the blurb on the back of a
> ten-year-old British edition of a collection of translated Latin
> American short stories:
>
> "The earlier stories show that the distinctive roots of
> Latin American fiction were there long before the term
> "Magic Realism" came into existence."
>
> -- Anon. blurb writer, *The Eye of the Heart:
> *Short stories from Latin America* (1973);
> Howes, Barbara (ed.); London, W.H. Allen, 1988.
I'm going to respectfully disagree. A quick web search turns up:
- a book title
Magical Realism : Theory, History, Community
Zamora, Lois Parkinson, and Wendy B. Faris, eds.
Duke University Press; ISBN: 0822316110
- a course at Bryn Mawr:
English 250 - Spring 1997
Social and Magical Realism in American Literatures
- an art exhibit in San Francisco:
Traditional and Magical Realism -- Art by Mayan Women
- another course at Southwest Texas State University
English 5321.002: Contemporary Fiction -- Magical Realism
- another course at Columbia University
CLFR W3680y Magical and other realisms
> "Magical realism" might have been a better translation, it's true, but
> -- as with "World Wide Web" -- we get what we get and live with it.
Maybe this is another one of those pondian things. I don't know.
Best regards.
John Doherty
gotten out through some mistake of mine. Sorry.]
In article <36c2ae9a...@news.iddeo.es>, rossh...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
| On Wed, 10 Feb 1999 23:57:58 -0600, jdoh...@ix.netcom.com (John
| Doherty) wrote:
|
| >In article <36C0B08A...@gasou.edu>, Fritz Rathmann
| <frit...@gasou.edu> wrote:
| >
| >| I've never heard the term, but having read Marquez's "100 Years of
| >| Solitude," I think "magic realism" describes the mix of realism with an
| >| undercurrent of almost-but-not-quite-magical events and inexplicable
| >| coincidences.
| >
| >It's not the worst definition, but the term is "magical realism."
|
| No, it's not. It's *realismo mágico*, which I've only ever seen
| translated as "magic realism".
|
| A citation more-or-less-random from the blurb on the back of a
| ten-year-old British edition of a collection of translated Latin
| American short stories:
|
| "The earlier stories show that the distinctive roots of
| Latin American fiction were there long before the term
| "Magic Realism" came into existence."
|
| -- Anon. blurb writer, *The Eye of the Heart:
| *Short stories from Latin America* (1973);
| Howes, Barbara (ed.); London, W.H. Allen, 1988.
I'm going to respectfully disagree. A quick web search turns up:
David McMurray
> In article <36c2ae9a...@news.iddeo.es>, rossh...@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>
> | On Wed, 10 Feb 1999 23:57:58 -0600, jdoh...@ix.netcom.com (John
> | Doherty) wrote:
[...]
> | >It's not the worst definition, but the term is "magical realism."
> |
> | No, it's not. It's *realismo mágico*, which I've only ever seen
> | translated as "magic realism".
[...]
> I'm going to respectfully disagree. A quick web search turns up:
[citations]
[...]
> Maybe this is another one of those pondian things. I don't know.
I don't think it's that simple. I'm west of the pond and had only seen
"magic realism" before I started reading this thread.
The Oxford Canadian Dictionary lists both forms, saying that "magic" is
more common than "magical" in Canadian usage.
--
David
BlackMask
is not English, feel that English is a barrior. But thanks to the help of people
in this newsgroup, I have overcome my difficulties. I am grateful for their
assistance. Once again, I want to request your help. Here are the phrases that I
can't understand. These are parts of article about golf.
1. Football and basketball are great sports, but when was the last time you saw
a gang of 60- or 70-year-olds choose up sides for a game of horse or touch
football?
2. I have seen the game through three very different sets of eyes: A, B and C.
3. And each day, in my office, I see many avid golfers, now in their golden
years, with some ailment or injury that prevents them from playing the game they
love - a game they promised themselves to play more when they had the time, only
to find that Father Time and the aging of their bodies were betraying that
promise.
4. To start you off, take the self-test at right. While it's not meant to be
taken as a definitive assessment of your current and future health (only your
physician can perform that vital role), it can serve as an indicator of your
prospects for a long and fruitful golf career (either that or a much-needed
wake-up call).
5. Not only will this package(cover story) and its team of expert contributors
show you how you can play better, they'll also help you develop life skills
aimed at avoiding injury and improving your overall conditioning.
Many thanks for any help.
Black Mask
John Doherty
| I am a person who lives in the Far East. People like me, whose native language
| is not English, feel that English is a barrior. But thanks to the help of
| people in this newsgroup, I have overcome my difficulties. I am grateful for
| their assistance. Once again, I want to request your help. Here are the
| phrases that I can't understand. These are parts of article about golf.
|
| 1. Football and basketball are great sports, but when was the last time you
| saw a gang of 60- or 70-year-olds choose up sides for a game of horse or
| touch football?
Horse is a game played by two people with a basketball and a basketball
hoop. Basically, one player takes a shot at the hoop, and if they
make it, the second player must make the same shot. If the second
player misses that shot, then they acquire the letter 'H'. The first
player to acquire all the letters H, O, R, S, and E loses.
Touch football is pretty much just American football, except that the
the player carrying the ball is stopped simply by being touched by a
defensive player, rather than by being tackled. It's a kinder, gentler,
form of football.
It's not that clear to me what you find difficult about your other examples.
Beckett209
wrote in:>Message-id: <7a2gk2$k...@edrn.newsguy.com>
>Here are the phrases that I
>can't understand.
>1. Football and basketball are great sports, but when was the last time you
>saw
>a gang of 60- or 70-year-olds choose up sides for a game of horse or touch
>football?
It seems to me from the other quotes that this was an article about physical
fitness as it relates to the game of golf. A lot of the people who do play
golf are retired (60 to 70 year olds) and are perhaps not in as good of shape
as those who play the more strenuous sports (see John's reply for explanation
of those games).
)>3. And each day, in my office, I see many avid golfers, now in their golden
>years, with some ailment or injury that prevents them from playing the game
>they
>love - a game they promised themselves to play more when they had the time,
>only
>to find that Father Time and the aging of their bodies were betraying that
>promise.
A lot of people, during their working years, dream of their retirement and
all of the things that they will do when they have free time to do it
(traveling is another good example of this) BUT by waiting until they're older,
they run the risk that failing health will prevent them from doing the very
things that they had dreamed about for so long.
Beckett Graham
Gary Williams
> 1. Football and basketball are great sports, but when was the last time you
saw
> a gang of 60- or 70-year-olds choose up sides for a game of horse or touch
> football?
Touch football and horse are recreational variants of American football and
basketball, respectively, in which the physical contact and exertion are
less. In touch football, the ball carrier is considered tackled when merely
touched by an opponent. In horse, there is no passing or dribbling; one
player takes a shot at the basket, and if the shot is good, the other players
must try to duplicate it. Those who fail get a point, and the first player
to get five points loses. The points are counted by spelling the word
"horse"; h for the first point, h-o for the second, etc.
> 2. I have seen the game through three very different sets of eyes: A, B and C.
I don't know what A, B, and C refer to, but the writer says that he has
observed the game from three very distinct perspectives or points of view.
> 3. And each day, in my office, I see many avid golfers, now in their golden
> years, with some ailment or injury that prevents them from playing the game
they
> love - a game they promised themselves to play more when they had the time,
only
> to find that Father Time and the aging of their bodies were betraying that
> promise.
The doctor sees many patients who love to play golf, and who promised
themselves that when they retired they would play more golf, but who when
they were finally old enough to do so found that illness and injury
associated with aging prevent this.
> 4. To start you off, take the self-test at right. While it's not meant to be
> taken as a definitive assessment of your current and future health (only your
> physician can perform that vital role), it can serve as an indicator of your
> prospects for a long and fruitful golf career (either that or a much-needed
> wake-up call).
To the right of this piece is a test you can administer to yourself by
truthfully answering the questions. It is not a medical examination, but it
will give some indication as to how likely you are to be able to play golf
for a long time (and it may warn you to take some action to prolong your
ability to play golf).
> 5. Not only will this package(cover story) and its team of expert contributors
> show you how you can play better, they'll also help you develop life skills
> aimed at avoiding injury and improving your overall conditioning.
The articles that follow and the experts that wrote them will not only teach
you to play better golf, but will help you develop habits that will keep you
safe from injury and physically fit.
Gary Williams
> Many thanks for any help.
>
> Black Mask
>
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
BlackMask
English.
--The amount of residual air left in the lungs after each breath increases from
about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent at age 60.
Many thanks for any help,
Black Mask
Mark Brader
> increases from about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you
> are 20 to 35 percent at age 60.
"Residue" (noun) or "residual" (adjective) refers to the part of
something that is left behind after a process that eliminates most
of it. When you exhale (breathe out), your lungs don't become
completely empty -- a certain amount of residual air remains.
Say that your lungs hold 5 liters of air. When you are 20 years old,
you can exhale 4 liters of air, and 1 liter remains (20 percent, also
written 20%, of the 5 liters). When you are 60 years old, you can
only exhale 3.25 liters, and 1.75 liters (35%) remains.
--
Mark Brader The last 10% of the performance sought contributes
Toronto one-third of the cost and two-thirds of the problems.
msbr...@interlog.com -- Norm Augustine
My text in this article is in the public domain.
K1912
>> --The amount of residual air left in the lungs after each breath
>> increases from about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you
>> are 20 to 35 percent at age 60.
>
>"Residue" (noun) or "residual" (adjective) refers to the part of
>something that is left behind after a process that eliminates most
>of it. When you exhale (breathe out), your lungs don't become
>completely empty -- a certain amount of residual air remains.
>
>Say that your lungs hold 5 liters of air. When you are 20 years old,
>you can exhale 4 liters of air, and 1 liter remains (20 percent, also
>written 20%, of the 5 liters). When you are 60 years old, you can
>only exhale 3.25 liters, and 1.75 liters (35%) remains.
And when you're ninety-six, it hardly pays to inhale at all, as exhalation is
nearly impossible. The expression "Don't hold your breath" takes on an entirely
new meaning. I almost never swim underwater anymore.
George
K1912
John Holmes
BlackMask wrote in message <7a7ufj$f...@edrn.newsguy.com>...
>I don't know the meaning of following phrase. Please explain it in
plain
>English.
>
increases from
>about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent
at age 60.
It should really have a comma in '... when you are 20, to 35 ...'.
When you breathe out, your lungs do not empty completely. There is still
some air (residual air) left. When you are aged 20, this residual amount
is equal to 20 percent of what the full lungs can hold (total lung
capacity). When you are 60 years old, it is 35 percent.
Regards,
John.
hol...@smart.net.au
Raymot
>
>
>BlackMask wrote in message <7a7ufj$f...@edrn.newsguy.com>...
>>I don't know the meaning of following phrase. Please explain it in
>plain
>>English.
>>
>>--The amount of residual air left in the lungs after each breath
>increases from
>>about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent
>at age 60.
>
>
>It should really have a comma in '... when you are 20, to 35 ...'.
>John.
>hol...@smart.net.au
>
"Breath" also sounds strange to me. I would say "expiration".
A "breath" is generally defined as an inspiration. Stedman's
Medical Dictionary defines "breath" as:
1. the respired air. 2. An inspiration.
It seems that most people agree, since whenever I ask them
to take a deep breath, they breath in rather than out.
Raymot
======
Brisbane, Australia
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Arianna54
>--The amount of residual air left in the lungs after each breath increases
>from
>about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent at age
>60.
I think the explanations you got were very clear. It basically says that as
you get old the tidal volume (the amount that goes in and out of your lungs
with every breath) decreases and the residual volume (the amount of air that
stays in your lungs) increases. So you take in less air = less oxygen = less
energy = you need to rest more, right? Do we agree on that?
Arianna
Skitt
Raymot <rmot...@powerup.com.au> wrote in message
news:36c7...@grissom.powerup.com.au...
>In article <7a8kfr$pcj$3...@perki.connect.com.au>, hol...@smart.net.au
says...
>>
>>
>>BlackMask wrote in message <7a7ufj$f...@edrn.newsguy.com>...
>>>I don't know the meaning of following phrase. Please explain it in
>>plain
>>>English.
>>>
>>increases from
>>>about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35
percent
>>at age 60.
>>
>>
> [...]
>>John.
>>hol...@smart.net.au
>>
>
>"Breath" also sounds strange to me. I would say "expiration".
>A "breath" is generally defined as an inspiration. Stedman's
>Medical Dictionary defines "breath" as:
>1. the respired air. 2. An inspiration.
>It seems that most people agree, since whenever I ask them
>to take a deep breath, they breath in rather than out.
The verb is "breathe".
--
Skitt http://i.am/skitt/
Central Florida CAUTION: My opinion may vary.
Skitt
Mark Brader <msbr...@interlog.com> wrote in message
news:7a8d2f$4...@shell1.interlog.com...
[wrote a message and signed it thus:]
>--
>Mark Brader The last 10% of the performance sought
contributes
>Toronto one-third of the cost and two-thirds of the
problems.
>msbr...@interlog.com -- Norm Augustine
I see that you are quoting our new leader -- author of Vision
Statements and Mission Statements galore.
Skitt (who is an ex-Lockheedite, but now victim of Lockheed Martin
profit reporting methods which resulted in a huge stock price drop).
N.Mitchum
-----
> I don't know the meaning of following phrase
>
> about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent at age 60.
I see why you had trouble with this. It's wordy, it's tangled,
and the awkward insertion of "when you are 20" can make problems
for anyone.
It means, "The amount of air remaining in the lungs after a breath
increases from 20% when you are twenty years old, to 35% when you
are sixty."
----NM
Podibanda Kuruppu
>On 15 Feb 1999 09:38:01 GMT, aria...@aol.com (Arianna54) wrote:
>
>>>From: BlackMask <Blac...@newsguy.com>
>>
>>>--The amount of residual air left in the lungs after each breath increases
>>>from
>>>about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent at age
>>>60.
>>
>>I think the explanations you got were very clear. It basically says that as
>>you get old the tidal volume (the amount that goes in and out of your lungs
>>with every breath) decreases and the residual volume (the amount of air that
>>stays in your lungs) increases. So you take in less air = less oxygen = less
>>energy = you need to rest more, right? Do we agree on that?
>
>Mmmm. how about getting more exercise; give your lungs more of a
>workout. Alternatively, sign on for an Everest summit tour. Only
>$60,000. Develop many more red blood cells. Make it back home?
>Maybe.
This Mt. Everest thing, is this an endurance question or a fitness question, or
both? It seems to me that just because one has $60,000 doesn't mean that one can
make it, or they'd allow you to sign up -- unless you agree to be brought back
in a body bag.
One more thing: it is not only the oxygen in your lungs that is important but
also how much gets into your brain that determine whether (or not) you can make
it back. The less oxygen your brain gets, the more disoriented and irrational
(?) you become.
(Sorry this has nothing whatever to do with helping to explain whatever it was
in plain English.)
Podibanda Kuruppu
>BlackMask wrote:
>-----
>> I don't know the meaning of following phrase
>>
>> --The amount of residual air left in the lungs after each breath increases from
>> about 20 percent of total lung capacity when you are 20 to 35 percent at age 60.
>>.....
>
>I see why you had trouble with this. It's wordy, it's tangled,
>and the awkward insertion of "when you are 20" can make problems
>for anyone.
I guess commas before and after "when you are 20" probably would not be out of
place here.
David McMurray
[...]
> "Breath" also sounds strange to me. I would say "expiration".
> A "breath" is generally defined as an inspiration. Stedman's
> Medical Dictionary defines "breath" as:
> 1. the respired air. 2. An inspiration.
> It seems that most people agree, since whenever I ask them
> to take a deep breath, they breath in rather than out.
Try asking them to give a deep breath.
--
David
a1a5...@bc.sympatico.ca
>David
I like that 'respired' though. Every bally quack on the golf
course may chance upon an atom Galen used.
K1912
[...]
>The less oxygen your brain gets, the more disoriented and irrational
>(?) you become.
>
I'm cut to the quick by your unprovoked attack.
K1912
Charles Strauss
>In article <7a2gk2$k...@edrn.newsguy.com>,
> BlackMask <Blac...@newsguy.com> wrote:
>
>> 1. Football and basketball are great sports, but when was the last time you
>saw
>> a gang of 60- or 70-year-olds choose up sides for a game of horse or touch
>> football?
>
>Touch football and horse are recreational variants of American football and
>basketball, respectively, in which the physical contact and exertion are
>less. In touch football, the ball carrier is considered tackled when merely
>touched by an opponent. In horse, there is no passing or dribbling; one
>player takes a shot at the basket, and if the shot is good, the other players
>must try to duplicate it. Those who fail get a point, and the first player
[a whole lot snipped]
A bunch of guys who graduated from Mamaroneck and New Rochelle High Schools (in
Westchester County, NY, USA) in 1955 and 1956 get together the Saturday after
Thanksgiving Day and play a two-to-three hour touch football game in the field
in Central Park right behind the Metropolitan Museum (my cousin is in this group;
that's how I know about it). They are all 60 or 61 years old. Their children
play too - no grandchildren play yet as far as I know.
/cms
Robert Lieblich
And when someone's 96, it takes very little cutting to get to his quick.
Or so I've been informed.
(That's okay, George. Few of us expect to be quick when we're 96.)
Bob Lieblich
Podibanda Kuruppu
>Podibanda Kuruppu wrote:
>
>[...]
>
>>The less oxygen your brain gets, the more disoriented and irrational
>>(?) you become.
>>
>I'm cut to the quick by your unprovoked attack.
Please, do forgive me. It was, as you know, not intentional.
K1912
>K1912 wrote:
>>
>> Podibanda Kuruppu wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> >The less oxygen your brain gets, the more disoriented and irrational
>> >(?) you become.
>> >
>> I'm cut to the quick by your unprovoked attack.
>
>And when someone's 96, it takes very little cutting to get to his quick.
>
>Or so I've been informed.
>
>(That's okay, George. Few of us expect to be quick when we're 96.)
It's so tempting to give into temptation! I just posted I ought to stop my
nonsense about being a 96-year-old nonagenarian (it's getting a little old, you
see) and the very next post I read tempts me again. I was tempted to make a
riposte about what the expression "the dead and the quick" means to a
96-year-old oxygen-deprived nonagenarian, but temptation's no match for anyone
who refuses to be tempted. Will power is all--even to us nonage--uh, young
guys.
George
K1912
BlackMask
that I can't understand. I need your help. Would you explain them in plain
English?
1. We're an afterthought. Some of the power-that-be consider us a necessary
evil.
2. Pretty darn good at times. Day in, day out. (Answer for the question,
"Greatest job in the world?")
3. In hindsight, it would seem that making the move would have been a
no-brainer, but it wasn't.
4. She paid both of us 10 grand. She would have paid him 15, but he mouthed off.
5. USGA had the presence of mind and the class to change the rule for the 97
Open at Congressional.
6. "Hey, get your head out of your ass."
Thanks a lot,
Black Mask
Rachel Meredith Kadel-Garcia
>I am reading an interview article about golf caddies. There are many phrases
>that I can't understand. I need your help. Would you explain them in plain
>English?
>
>1. We're an afterthought. Some of the power-that-be consider us a necessary
>evil.
An afterthought is something that is thought of after the more
important things are thoroughly taken care of, and is taken care of
hastily and sloppily. The powers-that-be are the people in charge. A
necessary evil is fairly literal -- something that is bad, but you
have to have it anyway.
So the caddy is saying that the people who run the golf courses don't
care about the caddies much, and don't like having to deal with them.
>2. Pretty darn good at times. Day in, day out. (Answer for the question,
>"Greatest job in the world?")
"Day in, day out" means, approximately, "all the time", with an
implication of tedium. In this context it's a little unclear, but I
think he's using it as an ellipsis for "I have to do the same thing
day in and day out" or some such.
>
>3. In hindsight, it would seem that making the move would have been a
>no-brainer, but it wasn't.
A no-brainer is something that's obvious. "Knowing what we know now,
you'd think that making the move was the obvious thing to do, but it
wasn't so obvious then."
>
>4. She paid both of us 10 grand. She would have paid him 15, but he mouthed off.
"grand" in this context means "thousand dollars". Mouthing off is
speaking rudely, especially to someone in a position of power.
>
>5. USGA had the presence of mind and the class to change the rule for the 97
>Open at Congressional.
If someone has "presence of mind", they think and act quickly and
appropriately in response to problems. "class" means, approximately,
sophistication. "Because the USGA was smart and civilised, it changed
the rule in time for the 1997 Open [a particular golf tournament] at
Congressional [a golf course].
>
>6. "Hey, get your head out of your ass."
Literally, it means "remove your head from your rectum". It's a
vulgar metaphor -- someone who is not paying attention or is stupid is
said to have their head up their ass, because someone in that position
would be unaware of just about anything except the state of their own
large intestine. Telling someone to get their head out of their ass
is a rude way to tell them to pay attention to what's going on and to
think.
Rachel
N.Mitchum
------
> >It means, "The amount of air remaining in the lungs after a breath
> >increases from 20% when you are twenty years old, to 35% when you
> >are sixty."
>
> I guess commas before and after "when you are 20" probably would not be out of
> place here.
When you yourself rewrite the sentence, you may add the extra
comma. I wrote it the way I thought was most natural and easiest
to read.
----NM
Lars Eighner
the lovely and talented BlackMask <Blac...@newsguy.com>
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
|I am reading an interview article about golf caddies. There are many phrases
|that I can't understand. I need your help. Would you explain them in plain
|English?
|1. We're an afterthought. Some of the power-that-be consider us a necessary
|evil.
We (caddies?) were not part of the original plan, but were thought of
later. Some authorities do not like us but recognized that we are
needed.
afterthought: something added at the last minute; something thought
of after a plan or design is adopted.
power-that-be (usually, "powers-that-be"): person in authority, the
boss (sometimes may mean Fate or another deity).
necessary evil: something that is disliked, but needed.
|2. Pretty darn good at times. Day in, day out. (Answer for the question,
|"Greatest job in the world?")
Sometimes this is a very good job. Every day, day after day, (it is
good? OR it has its good times?)
pretty darn good: very good.
day in, day out: day after day, everyday, (perhaps: on average)
This passage is not entirely clear. The speaker says the job
is good sometimes, but then seems to imply it is good all the
time. Perhaps, the speaker means the job is very good sometimes,
and is good on average.
|3. In hindsight, it would seem that making the move would have been a
|no-brainer, but it wasn't.
Looking back, the decision would seem obvious, but when we
were making the decision we were not sure.
hindsight: the view of things after they have happened (opposite
of foresight). Example: "20-20 hindsight" -- the ability
to see clearly afterwards what one should have known
before (an ability almost everyone has). Example:
"In hindsight I should not have eaten that extra slice
of pizza." = (Now I know the extra pizza made me ill
and I should have known before I ate it that it would
make me ill).
no-brainer: an easy decision, an easy choice, something so obvious
that it takes (almost) no intelligence to understand it.
move: (usually means to change location, but here may mean to
change policy)
|4. She paid both of us 10 grand. She would have paid him 15,
|but he mouthed off.
She paid both of us $10,000. She would have paid him $15,000
but he said something (complained? insulted her?).
grand: $1,000
mouthed off: said something impertinent/disrespectful, offered
an unwanted opinion in an offensive way.
|5. USGA had the presence of mind and the class to change the rule for
|the 97 Open at Congressional.
USGA had the (intelligence/awareness) and the willingness to amend
itself to change the rule.
presence of mind: the self-control to apply intelligence in
a timely manner
class: graciousness (in this case, a willingness of one in a superior
position to admit to having made an error)
|6. "Hey, get your head out of your ass."
"Don't be stupid."
<one> has <one's> head up <one's> ass: one is willfully ignorant,
one is stubbornly stupid, Example: "He has his head up his
ass" = (he doesn't know what he is talking about, he is
ignoring the facts because he thinks he knows better,
he likes his own opinions too much).
--
Lars Eighner 700 Hearn #101 Austin TX 78703 eig...@io.com
(512) 474-1920 (FAX answers 6th ring) http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/
Please visit my web bookstore: http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/bookstor.html
* Eleven tons of hair stolen. Police combing area.
John Doherty
| "Day in, day out" means, approximately, "all the time", with an
| implication of tedium.
Sometimes the implication is of reliability, not tedium, as in "that
machine just sits there and works, day in and day out," or "day in
and day out, he always comes through."
Best regards.
Bob Cunningham
Many years ago there was a notable incident involving the expression
'day in and day out' and a writer of language pieces in _The Saturday
Review_, Thomas Middleton.
A large savings institution had an ad running on TV that spoke of
paying interest 'day in to day out'. Middleton wrote a column
indignantly protesting this illogical corruption of 'day in and day
out'. To his great embarrassment, it turned out that the ad meant
exactly what it said, that interest payments would start the day the
money was deposited and continue through the day it was withdrawn.
Podibanda Kuruppu
I was not commenting on your version but the original. The implication of
"here", that perhaps I was referring to your rendition, dawned on me after I
read my own post later on.
What can I say, I do like yours better.
a1a5...@bc.sympatico.ca
Not in my book. "To" is a delineator of cessation there, and
days begin and end. For "logical" harmony the phrase -- to mean
what the bank wanted to say -- would have to be "from the start
of the day of deposit through to the end of the day of
wihdrawal". Or, "day in through day out".
Did Middleton get a fee for meddling, I wonder? Print is worth
money.
BlackMask
bussinessman. There are some phrases that I can not understand. I need your help
to know them. Please exlain them in plain English.
1. When asked whether, with a 35 per cent stake in the new conglomerate, he
minded being a minority shareholder, Rupert said he had been taught long ago not
to put "face before facts" in business.
2. Although he is a steady single-figure golfer who is given to flying Ernie
Els's coach, Robert Baker, over from American for sessions of intensive
practice, Rupert would be the first to admit that while he might be one of the
the masters of the universe he will never quite get the better of the game of
golf.
Many thanks for any help,
Black Mask
Brian J Goggin
wrote:
>These are parts of an article about Johann Rupert, who is South African
>bussinessman. There are some phrases that I can not understand. I need your help
>to know them. Please exlain them in plain English.
>
>1. When asked whether, with a 35 per cent stake in the new conglomerate, he
>minded being a minority shareholder, Rupert said he had been taught long ago not
>to put "face before facts" in business.
This one is not entirely clear. I think it means that Rupert was
taught not to place more importance on appearance than on reality. In
the context, it may mean that although he owns only 35% of the
conglomerate (group of companies), and thus may seem to have little
control, his stake is actually large enough to give him effective
control.
>2. Although he is a steady single-figure golfer who is given to flying Ernie
>Els's coach, Robert Baker, over from American for sessions of intensive
>practice, Rupert would be the first to admit that while he might be one of the
>the masters of the universe he will never quite get the better of the game of
>golf.
Rupert is keen on golf. He is reasonably good at it. He can afford to
get prominent professionals to teach him. Nonetheless, although he is
a prominent business-person (master of the universe), he will never be
in the first rank of golfers.
bjg
BlackMask
There are so many phrases that I can't understand. I need your help. Please
explain them in plain English.
1. When Vanity Fair sends a photographer to hunt you down at Abe Lincoln's old
homeplace, you are deep inside the American celebrity machine and about to enter
spin cycle with the velvet likes of Hillary Clinton and Gwyneth Paltrow.
2. "Like pulling teeth," says Art Streiber, a celebrity photographer. "She kept
saying, 'I must go back to the range and hit balls.'"
3. Oh, to be 21, to be innocent, to be radiant and glowing when there's darkness
afoot.
4. Outlook's coconut shrimp and bloomin' onion
5. Becoming an adult, but not quite there, she felt the stirrings of rebellion
without the power to rebel.
6. He first nurtured the prodigy and then made her life his, a familiar pattern
of paternal dominance/suffocation visited upon young women athletes.
7. Disoriented, barely able to raise her head from the bed, hooked to
intravenous needles and tubing, she whispered, "Hi, Tim," who heard the greeting
just as he was shouldered aside by Koreans carrying television cameras.
8. She peels the batter off Outback's bloomin' onions while folks back home call
her their Joan of Arc.
9. He's an American male who trained for superstardom and gained the life
experience through competition and education to become a suffer-no-fools
custodian of the empire built on his talent.
Lars Eighner
|I'm reading an golf column about Se Ri Pak, a young Korean female pro golfer.
|There are so many phrases that I can't understand. I need your help. Please
|explain them in plain English.
|
|1. When Vanity Fair sends a photographer to hunt you down at Abe Lincoln's old
|homeplace, you are deep inside the American celebrity machine and about to enter
|spin cycle with the velvet likes of Hillary Clinton and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Vanity Fair: American magazine with an emphasis on celebrity -- like
People, but for readers of a higher class
to hunt you down: to find you, (implies that great skill and
persistence is needed to find you)
Abe Lincoln's old homeplace: this is not clear, look to the context.
It might mean the White House (US President's Mansion)
possibly the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.
you are deep inside ...: (this is an extended figure of speech;
the image is that of a machine which creates -- and perhaps
disposes of -- celebrities. Hillary Clinton is the
wife of the President of the United States and Gwyneth
Paltrow is probably someone who is supposed to be famous
now.
Rough summary: When a celebrity magazine sends a photographer
to make your photograph [by the way, I had to interrupt
writing this reply because the New York Times Magazine
photographer arrived to make *my* photograph -- and shot
for an hour and a half] and the photographer searches
for you until he finds you in the Lincoln Bedroom
of the White House, you may be sure you have become
a part of the American obsession with celebrity.
|2. "Like pulling teeth," says Art Streiber, a celebrity photographer.
"She kept saying, 'I must go back to the range and hit balls.'"
like pulling teeth: a difficult task that requires the cooperation
of someone who is reluctant to assist (Example: Getting
him to answer my questions was like pulling teeth =
he was an uncooperative informant).
range: driving range, a place golfers hit balls for practice
The photographer says that it was difficult to get her to pose
for photographs and she kept trying to leave by
offering the excuse that she had to practice golf.
(implication: she was shy or modest, she cared more for her
game than she cared for life as a celebrity --
[although as I was just reminded, anyone can become
tired of posing for a professional photographer
very quickly])
|3. Oh, to be 21, to be innocent, to be radiant and glowing when there's
darkness afoot.
Oh: (often is "O!" in expressions like this one) an exclamation,
expressing wistfulness or longing here.
when there is darkness afoot: (I don't know what this means here)
(I wish I were)/(It is good to be) 21 (i.e. young), innocent,
radiant and glowing when there's darkness afoot.
|4. Outlook's coconut shrimp and bloomin' onion
Outlook: a restaurant with this name
coconut shrimp: a dish served at that restaurant
bloomin' onion (onion blossom): a large onion cut to resemble a carnation,
dipped in batter, and fried in oil, usually served as an
appetizer
|5. Becoming an adult, but not quite there, she felt the stirrings of
|rebellion without the power to rebel.
She was nearing the age of an adult. She had rebellious feelings
but was not independent enough to rebel.
|6. He first nurtured the prodigy and then made her life his, a
familiar pattern of paternal dominance/suffocation visited upon
young women athletes.
prodigy: a person exhibiting a great talent (for something) at
a very young age, Example: Mozart was a prodigy.
If you can solve differential calculus equations when
you are eight-years-old, you are a mathematical prodigy.
At first he trained (in a helpful way) the young, talented person, but
then he became excessively domineering, as if her life was
his (wanted to control her actions to the degree that he
controlled his own actions). This is something that commonly
happens to young female athletes.
|7. Disoriented, barely able to raise her head from the bed, hooked to
|intravenous needles and tubing, she whispered, "Hi, Tim," who heard the
|greeting just as he was shouldered aside by Koreans carrying
television cameras.
She was confused and weak. She was being treated with intravenous
infusions and had various medical devices attached to her
body. She spoke to Tim, but just then Tim was shoved out
of the way by Korean television reporters.
|8. She peels the batter off Outback's bloomin' onions while folks
|back home call her their Joan of Arc.
She is eating an onion (see above) (you are supposed to realize
this is a very ordinary action) but people in her hometown
consider her like a martyr or saint (this is supposed to show
a contrast between her doing something ordinary although people
think she is very extraordinary). [Somehow I doubt that many
Koreans would really compare her to Joan of Arc.]
|9. He's an American male who trained for superstardom and gained the life
|experience through competition and education to become a suffer-no-fools
|custodian of the empire built on his talent.
He trained to be a very prominent (golfer?). He was very successful
(and probably rich, employing many people). His experiences in
competing to be so successful taught him to be impatient with
foolish people (who might endanger his success and the many employees
who depended upon him).
superstardom: the state of being a very famous and successful person,
the state of being one of the few most prominent
persons in some activity (such as rock music)
suffer-no-fools: impatient with foolish people
empire: (here) a large and successful business enterprise
custodian: (here) guardian, person responsible for the safekeeping of
something
--
Lars Eighner 700 Hearn #101 Austin TX 78703 eig...@io.com
(512) 474-1920 (FAX answers 6th ring) http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/
Please visit my web bookstore: http://www.io.com/%7Eeighner/bookstor.html
* Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
Mark Brader
> Lincoln's old homeplace, you are deep inside the American celebrity
> machine and about to enter spin cycle with the velvet likes of
> Hillary Clinton and Gwyneth Paltrow.
This one requires some explaining!
The sentence refers to "you", but it is being used informally to
replace the pronoun "one". In this case the pronoun must really
apply to Se Ri Pak.
The sentence means: To do an article on this person, Vanity Fair
magazine had to send a photographer to an out-of-the-way place to
find her. Because of the type of articles used in the magazine,
the fact that they did this proves that this person (Pak) is
considered a celebrity in America. She will therefore be treated
like all other celebrities (for example, we can expect to see other
magazine articles about her, she will probably be on TV, and so
on). However, we can expect her to be treated very favorably in
these articles and television shows, the way that Hillary Clinton
and Gwyneth Paltrow are.
All that in four lines! Now let's take it piece by piece.
> When Vanity Fair sends a photographer to hunt you down at Abe
> Lincoln's old homeplace
"Abe Lincoln's old homeplace" refers to the small town where Abraham
Lincoln (president in the 1860s) came from. The importance here is
simply that it *is* a small town and the Vanity Fair employee had to
make a special trip there.
> you are deep inside the American celebrity machine
A sausage machine is a machine that makes sausages; a snack machine
is a machine that dispenses snacks. A celebrity machine would similarly
be a machine that did something to celebrities -- the same thing to all
of them. This is a metaphor for the way that magazines and newspapers
and TV treat all celebrities the same way, as I said before. If the
person is *deep* inside the machine, then it follows that it would be
very difficult if they wanted to get out of it.
> and about to enter spin cycle
If you are playing pool or billiards and hit the ball to the left or
right of center, then it will spin sideways as it moves, causing its
path to curve. "Spin" is a metaphor for talking about something in
a way that makes it seem good or bad, whichever you want. You might
do this for political reasons: for example, a new factory is planned
and this will employ many people but will also create lots of pollution.
If you talk *only* about the jobs or *only* about the pollution, you're
"putting spin on the story", or "spinning the story".
People who produce magazines will also put spin on a story simply
because they think they will attract more people to read it. They
sentence suggests that the "celebrity machine" always does this to
celebrities -- they are always made to appear good or bad, never
in between.
A washing machine (for clothes) automatically does a series of operations,
called the wash cycle, rinse cycle, and spin cycle. I think the term
"cycle" is used because the tub is empty at the end of each one, so there
is a sense of returning to the same state.
Since we were talking about machines and spin, "spin cycle" is then
used as a sort of combined metaphor to remind us of how machine-like
the treatment of celebrities is.
> with the velvet likes of Hillary Clinton and Gwyneth Paltrow.
"The likes of" is a set phrase, which roughly means "the following
people and others like them." Velvet is a very soft, plush fabric.
Hillary Clinton is the wife of President Clinton; Gwyneth Paltrow is
an actress (see <http://us.imdb.com/Name?Paltrow,+Gwyneth>).
The idea of this part of the sentence is that the spin from the
celebrity machine has made these women seem very good people --
it's as nice to read about them as it is to touch velvet. Because
Pak is described as being "with" them in this context, the sentence
says we can expect her to have the same sort of favorable spin.
Done!
> 2. "Like pulling teeth," says Art Streiber, a celebrity photographer.
> "She kept saying, 'I must go back to the range and hit balls.'"
Pulling teeth is difficult. Streiber had trouble photographing Pak
because he wanted photograph her where she was, but she wanted to
continue practicing her golf on the driving range.
> 3. Oh, to be 21, to be innocent, to be radiant and glowing when
> there's darkness afoot.
In this usage "to be" means "it would be so nice to be". The writer
is expressing envy of Pak's innocence, radiance, and so on -- this in
turn is a metaphor for beauty and charm.
"Darkness" is a metaphor for evil, and if it's "afoot" then it's walking
around and perhaps stalking you. So that last part means that Pak is
able to retain her charming quality although something bad might be
about to happen to her. Perhaps this is because she is innocent and
doesn't realize that it might going to happen.
> 4. Outlook's coconut shrimp and bloomin' onion
I have no idea what this means.
> 5. Becoming an adult, but not quite there, she felt the stirrings
> of rebellion without the power to rebel.
A stirring is the beginning of a feeling. When children grow up, they
normally want to rebel against all the rules that they were ordered to
obey as children. Only as adults is it practical for them to do so.
The sentence says she is not quite an adult yet, so she's beginning
to feel rebellious but must still obey the rules of childhood for
a little longer.
I think that most Americans would consider this sentence to refer to an
age more like 16 or 17 than to age 21. If Pak is 21 and still feels that
she must obey the rules of childhood, her life is an unusual one by
American standards.
> 6. He first nurtured the prodigy and then made her life his, a
> familiar pattern of paternal dominance/suffocation visited upon
> young women athletes.
Another difficult sentence. It is about Pak's father (or someone who
acted like a father -- paternally). It says that when she showed great
talent as a child, he guided her to develop it and helped her grow up
properly. But then he took control of her life (he "made it his").
Being dominated like this was very unpleasant for her, like being
suffocated. But this bad situation often happens to athletes who are
young women.
A prodigy is someone who shows great talent as a child, like Mozart
(music), Gauss (mathematics), or Fischer (chess). To nurture is to
help someone (or something, like a plant) grow up properly -- in the
case of prodigies, it would involve helping them develop their talents.
An evil is "visited upon" a person if it comes to them without their
doing anything to cause it.
> 7. Disoriented, barely able to raise her head from the bed, hooked
> to intravenous needles and tubing, she whispered, "Hi, Tim," who
> heard the greeting just as he was shouldered aside by Koreans
> carrying television cameras.
She was in a hospital, receiving fluids through needles in her veins,
and perhaps with other tubes connected to her body to deliver oxygen,
drain urine away, and so on. (That is, she was very sick, or had
just suffered an accident, or had surgery, or something like that.)
"Disoriented" in this case means that she didn't understand exactly
where she was or what was going on. (In another situation it might
only mean that she didn't know which way she was facing.)
She whispered "Hi, Tim", but just then a Korean TV crew came in and
bumped Tim aside so they could photograph her with all the tubes and
things.
> 8. She peels the batter off Outback's bloomin' onions while folks
> back home call her their Joan of Arc.
I have no idea what the point of this sentence is.
> 9. He's an American male who trained for superstardom and gained
> the life experience through competition and education to become a
> suffer-no-fools custodian of the empire built on his talent.
This man is an American who always knew he was going to be very good at
what he does, and used that talent wisely to start a business based on
it. By the time the business had become a big one, he was experienced
and mature enough (from the competitions he had entered, and the education
he had received) to be able to run it well and not accept any stupid ideas
from other people.
A star is someone famous for what they do; a superstar is a very famous
star; superstardom is the state of being a superstar. This man knew,
early in life, that he was so good at something (presumably golf) that
he would become very famous for doing it, and he was able to plan his
life on that assumption.
The literal meaning of "building an empire" refers to conquering a large
area of land. Metaphorically it refers to creating a big business or
group of businesses. A "custodian" is someone who takes care of things
in some way -- it could refer to simple cleaning or complex management.
In this case it is about management.
To suffer is to undergo something unpleasant, perhaps voluntarily, perhaps
not. Someone who "suffers fools gladly" (an old idiom) is willing to
listen to what people say even if it is stupid. This man will suffer *no*
fools, meaning that he *doesn't* listen to stupid ideas. In very informal
English you can turn almost any phrase into an adjective, but if it's
not normally used that way and you put it before a noun, you must hyphenate
it so that the reader can tell you're doing this. Hence the hyphenated
form "suffer-no-fools". You might call it to-help-the-reader punctuation.
I repeat that this is very informal; don't overuse it.
--
Mark Brader | "I love talking about nothing.
Toronto | It's the only thing I know anything about."
msbr...@interlog.com | --Lord Goring (Oscar Wilde: An Ideal Husband)
My text in this article is in the public domain.