[Ads-l] Idle curiosity

Dan Goncharoff thegonch at GMAIL.COM
Sun Jul 12 18:55:07 UTC 2015 

Anyone who says sporting events are not critical situations for sports fans
is not, at heart, a sports fan.

Specifically, 'clutch' applies to all sports, including the act of throwing
balled-up paper at the waste bin in the office. And, according to ESPN, the
act of reporting and commenting on sports.

You may not like this usage, but it is not a change in use, or even a
generalization.

DanG

On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 2:36 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Idle curiosity
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> > On Jul 12, 2015, at 1:01 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> =
> wrote:
> >=20
> > You say it has been "generalized". Generalized to what? The ESPN App =
> is
> > about sports. Clutch is a sports term.
>
> Yes, with a specific meaning, more or less as below: 'Tending to be =
> successful in tense or critical situations'.  Sports terms are not ipso =
> facto interchangeable, and I don't see a prima facie reason why an =
> app--sports app or otherwise--would be advertised as working especially, =
> or working better, in clutch (tense or critical) situations.  I'll =
> concede there may be a metaphorical intention, but I can't readily =
> compute it. Is ESPN a clutch network because it carries sports =
> programming?=20
>
> > It is in an advertisement. It is, at
> > worst, a metaphor.
> >=20
> > If the new PBS App said it was clutch, that I would accept as a
> > generalization.
> >=20
> > DanG
> >=20
> > On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 12:50 PM, Laurence Horn =
> <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> > wrote:
> >=20
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >> Subject:      Re: Idle curiosity
> >>=20
> >> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
> >>=20
> >>> On Jul 12, 2015, at 12:09 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> =3D
> >> wrote:
> >>> =3D20
> >>> Clutch as an adjective in the context of sports is new??
> >>> =3D20
> >>> DanG
> >>=20
> >> Seems like it's been generalized, though.  AHD has this for "clutch, =
> =3D
> >> adj.":
> >>=20
> >> adj.=3D20
> >> Informal
> >> 1. Being or occurring in a tense or critical situation: won the =3D
> >> championship by sinking a clutch putt.
> >> 2. Tending to be successful in tense or critical situations: The =
> coach =3D
> >> relied on her clutch pitcher.
> >>=20
> >> I'm familiar with that use, which curiously the draft addition (Dec. =
> =3D
> >> 2013) for the OED "clutch, n." entry--
> >>=20
> >> 'Of a player: reliable or successful in a situation when the outcome =
> of =3D
> >> a game or competition is at stake; (also) designating a critical =
> moment =3D
> >> in a game; designating (good) play at such a moment.'
> >>=20
> >> --doesn't specify as an adjective.  While most of the cites at that =3D=
>
> >> entry (or in the related entry for "clutch hitter") can also be taken =
> to =3D
> >> be modifying nouns in a nominal compound,=3D20
> >>=20
> >> 1929   Frederick (Maryland) Post 26 Mar. 3/6   Marty is one of the =
> best =3D
> >> =3DE2=3D80=3D98clutch=3DE2=3D80=3D99 batters in the league. His =
> average is never =3D
> >> very high but he always comes through with his hits when they are =
> most =3D
> >> needed.
> >> 1940   Princeton Alumni Weekly 30 Sept. 18/3   Captain Dan Carmichael =
> =3D
> >> proved himself to be a good clutch player in the Harvard contest..and =
> =3D
> >> the Tigers were able to pull the game out of the fire with a =
> desperate =3D
> >> rally.
> >> 1960   Los Angeles Times 15 Feb. c2/3 (headline)    Clutch play by =3D
> >> Cranston wins title.
> >> 1971   Daily Republic (Mitchell, S. Dakota) 3 Feb. 15/1   The Jacks =
> and =3D
> >> Indians battled on nearly even terms..until some clutch free throw =3D
> >> shooting in the closing moments by Rod Heinrich, Dave Thomas and Paul =
> =3D
> >> Parker put the game away.
> >> 1994   T. Boswell Cracking Show v. i. 81   He won't expand his strike =
> =3D
> >> zone in clutch situations to help the team.
> >>=20
> >> another is clearly adjectival,=3D20
> >>=20
> >> 2012   R. W. Cohen 50 Greatest Players N.Y. Yankees Hist. xxiv. 128   =
> He =3D
> >> had that swing and that heart, he was just totally clutch.
> >>=20
> >> and I've heard this ("X is really clutch", "How clutch is Y!?",  =
> etc.) a =3D
> >> lot in sports contexts too. But in any case, none of these extends in =
> an =3D
> >> obvious way to the case in question (to modify ESPN's app), unless =
> the =3D
> >> implication is that it works well in the clutch, presumably unlike =
> other =3D
> >> apps that chokes up when the pressure is on.
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >> LH
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >>> =3D20
> >>> On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 8:26 AM, Arnold Zwicky =3D
> >> <arnold.zwicky at gmail.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>> =3D20
> >>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>>> -----------------------
> >>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>>> Poster:       Arnold Zwicky <arnold.zwicky at GMAIL.COM>
> >>>> Subject:      Re: Idle curiosity
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>> =3D
> >> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> =3D
> >> -----
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>>> On Jul 12, 2015, at 5:17 AM, victor steinbok =
> <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM> =3D
> >> =3D3D
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>> =3D3D20
> >>>>> Just wondering if anyone has anything interesting to say about =
> these =3D
> >> =3D3D
> >>>> words:
> >>>>> =3D3D20
> >>>>> Doxx (v.)/-ed/-ing
> >>>>> Clutch (adj.?) As in "Watch ESPN [app] is pretty clutch." (Taken =3D=
>
> >> from
> >>>>> actual ESPN Radio commercial.)
> >>>>> Spend (n.) As in "You can monitor your company's spend [via
> >>>> app].=3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9D=3D3D
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>> =3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9Cclutch=3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9D is new to me.
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>> on =3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9Cdoxx=3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9D, on my blog:
> >>>> =3D
> >> =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3Dhttp-3A__arnoldzwicky.org_2=
> 01=3D
> >> =
> 4_10_26_doxxing_&d=3D3DAwIBaQ&c=3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu3=
> 9hB2bf=3D
> >> =
> 13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3DvwbMa-4SoQ5TS4WsxPcMrT8qAJNZUxLTWZTkviC=
> yV=3D
> >> k8&s=3D3DUZNf8iNCi5rBmni4syar0j_FyqC0IS0x7TvPMOgCm_w&e=3D3D=3D20
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>> on the nouning =3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9Cspend=3D3DE2=3D3D80=3D3D9D, on =
> my blog:
> >>>> =3D3D
> >>>> =3D
> >> =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3Dhttp-3A__arnoldzwicky.wordp=
> re=3D
> >> =
>
> ss.com_2012_08_23_annals-2Dof-2Dnouning-2Dand-2Dpeeving-3D&d=3D3DAwIBaQ&c=3D=
> 3D=3D
> >>=20
> >> =
> -dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=
> =3D3D=3D
> >> =
> vwbMa-4SoQ5TS4WsxPcMrT8qAJNZUxLTWZTkviCyVk8&s=3D3DhP4HQXQjpXitvAMoN33l6vNr=
> eo=3D
> >> ubdOO_THsEf7PvP_Y&e=3D3D=3D20
> >>>> /
> >>>> =3D20
> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>> The American Dialect Society - =3D
> >> =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialec=
> t.=3D
> >> =
> org&d=3D3DAwIBaQ&c=3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0Z=
> pW1TsS=3D
> >> =
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3DvwbMa-4SoQ5TS4WsxPcMrT8qAJNZUxLTWZTkviCyVk8&s=3D3D-s=
> Cf-R=3D
> >> 1YcYJn50-RERdZVH7CX1EytGzrWwWKYViecHI&e=3D3D=3D20
> >>>> =3D20
> >>> =3D20
> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>> The American Dialect Society - =3D
> >> =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3D3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialec=
> t.=3D
> >> =
> org&d=3D3DAwIBaQ&c=3D3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3D3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0Z=
> pW1TsS=3D
> >> =
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D3DvwbMa-4SoQ5TS4WsxPcMrT8qAJNZUxLTWZTkviCyVk8&s=3D3D-s=
> Cf-R=3D
> >> 1YcYJn50-RERdZVH7CX1EytGzrWwWKYViecHI&e=3D3D=3D20
> >>=20
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DS4I59NBy8CQUvdDvMLY-1tnbGbRlvowzZF4RGvsMjio&s=3D0Q2Ogo=
> TkEs9OT_8Kc6Edakdct8hISQZJFokri3INcb8&e=3D=20
> >>=20
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DS4I59NBy8CQUvdDvMLY-1tnbGbRlvowzZF4RGvsMjio&s=3D0Q2Ogo=
> TkEs9OT_8Kc6Edakdct8hISQZJFokri3INcb8&e=3D=20
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

More information about the Ads-l mailing list