interesting metaphor

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Tue Dec 9 20:43:27 UTC 2008


But -- A right-handed basketball player (or anyone, shooting from the
right side of the basket) will push off from the left foot.  I tend
to think of the left foot here as analogous to the left hand for
righties -- used for strength, not dexterity, such as to hold a jar
while twisting off the cap with the right hand.

By analogy with Schokoladenseite 'attractive side', I would expect
'Schokoladenbein' to be the golden leg, not the weak one.  But let's
ask Franz (Beckenbauer, that is).

Joel

At 12/9/2008 01:53 PM, Marc Velasco wrote:
>alternate hypothesis
>
>one possibility is that a dominant foot for standing/jumping (the chocolate
>foot) is not the same as a dominant foot in terms of coordination/shooting.
>
>right-footed/right-handed people tend to jump off of their left foot (making
>the left the chocolate foot).  this naturally means their chocolate foot
>will not be their favored shooting foot.  van Persie's case would be exactly
>the opposite, since he's a lefty.
>
>
>
>On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 11:57 AM, Arnold Zwicky <zwicky at stanford.edu> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Arnold Zwicky <zwicky at STANFORD.EDU>
> > Subject:      Fwd: interesting metaphor
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > a Dutch-German difference?
> >
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> > > From: Victor Steinbok <victor.steinbok at verizon.net>
> > > Date: December 9, 2008 7:18:03 AM PST
> > > To: "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu>
> > > Subject: interesting metaphor
> > >
> > > =46rom a daily soccer report (no source given in the email):
> > > Quote of the Day
> > >
> > > - Robin van Persie on overcoming his right =93chocolate leg=94 issue: =
> > "I =20
> > > know I can shoot with my right, although my left is better, but it=92s =
> > =20
> > > basically down to your belief in the power of your wrong foot. In =20
> > > Holland we call it my =91chocolate leg=92 but positive thinking is the =
> > =20
> > > key for me.=94
> > > OK, here's one source.
> > >
> > > Here's another version. The interesting thing here is that it means =20=
> >
> > > exactly the opposite from van Persie's statement.
> > > http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/citations/chocolate_leg_1/
> > > Catchword for =93chocolate leg=94
> > >
> > > Catchword: chocolate leg
> > > Filed Under: English, Sports & Recreation
> > > Part of Speech: n.
> > > The part of speech reflects that used in the full entry, and not =20
> > > necessarily the part of speech as it is used in the quotation below.
> > > Quotation: =93There=92s even something like a =91dominant leg=92! You
> > =20=
> >
> > > automatically try to take off from that one if attempting to jump. =20
> > > Try. You=92d be amazed. There=92s a phrase for that in German: =20
> > > =91Schokoladenbein.=92=94 =93Chocolate leg? I=92m going to assume that =
> > =20
> > > something was lost in the translation here.=94
> > > Article or Document Title:
> > > =93Re: Left-orium=94 (URL)
> > > Author:
> > > John C.
> > > Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
> > > Usenet: rec.games.roguelike.adom
> > > Date of Publication:
> > > Dec. 29, 2002
> > > This cite belongs to a full entry for chocolate foot.
> > > Posted 9 Feb 05 | Permalink |
> > >
> > > http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/chocolate_foot/
> > > Dictionary definition of =93chocolate foot=94
> > > chocolate foot
> > >
> > > n. the foot favored to use or to start with when running, biking, or =20=
> >
> > > kicking; one=92s dominant foot. Subjects: English, Body, Sports & =20
> > > Recreation
> > > Etymological Note: Perhaps a calque from the German Schokoladenbein =20=
> >
> > > =91favored leg=92 (literally =91chocolate leg=92). A similar German =
> > word is =20
> > > Schokoladenseite =91attractive side=92 (literally =91chocolate side=92).=
> >
> > > 1 Comment | Cites | Permalink | Tell a Friend
> > > Citations: 1996 Hans Rey, Scott Martin Mountain Bike Magazine=92s =20
> > > Complete Guide To Mountain Biking Skills (Feb. 15) p. 116: Keep your =20=
> >
> > > pedals horizontal, with your =93chocolate foot=94 (your strongest =
> > foot) =20
> > > forward. 1999 [Klieg] Usenet: alt.mountain-bike (Mar. 19) =93Re: =20
> > > Riding in Arizona=94: Chicken Point has a sreaming single track =20
> > > descent off it that has a nasty habit of turning your chocolate foot =20=
> >
> > > into good because you are hardly pedaling, jsut keeping the pedals =20
> > > level and coasting at 30mph. 1999 Scottish Daily Record (Sept. 20) =20
> > > =93Roddy gets it right with a bit of luck=94: I turned inside a =20
> > > defender, created a bit of space and hit a shot with my chocolate =20
> > > foot, my right, and luckily it went in. 2002 John C. Usenet: =20
> > > rec.games.roguelike.adom (Dec. 29) =93Re: Left-orium=94: =93There=92s =
> > even =20
> > > something like a =91dominant leg=92! You automatically try to take off =
> > =20
> > > from that one if attempting to jump. Try. You=92d be amazed. There=92s =
> > a =20
> > > phrase for that in German: =91Schokoladenbein.=92=94 =93Chocolate leg? =
> > I=92m =20
> > > going to assume that something was lost in the translation here.=94 =20=
> >
> > > 2004 Leonard Zinn Zinn=92s Cycling Primer (June 1) p. 34: The first =20=
> >
> > > thing you must know before hucking yourself off a drop-off is which =20=
> >
> > > foot is your =93chocolate foot,=94 as Hans =93No Way=94 Rey calls it. =
> > Your =20
> > > chocolate foot is your favorite foot, the one you always keep =20
> > > forward when standing on the petals.
> > > Posted 9 Feb 05 | Permalink
> > >
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
>
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