[Ads-l] leave it all on the field

[Neal Whitman]

Someone I know commented on another person's unsuccessful political 
campaign in a Facebook post, saying he'd run a strong campaign and "left 
nothing on the field."

Idiom blend with "held nothing back"? Misunderstanding of what is left 
on the field? I don't know.

Doing a search, I see the Indians coach said this about their World 
Series run:

    Tribe coach Terry Francona said despite the loss, the game was
    incredible.

    "To be associated with those players in that clubhouse, it is an
    honor and I just told them that it's going to hurt. It hurts because
    we care. But they need to walk with their heads held high because
    they left nothing on the field. That's all the things we ever ask
    them to do. They tried until there was nothing left."
    http://fox8.com/2016/11/03/francona-says-tribe-left-nothing-on-the-field-players-say-we-will-be-back/


There's also this, from a 2009 blog post, citing a book called /Run with 
the Bulls without Getting Trampled/by Tim Irwin. I'm assuming everything 
but the quotation is paraphrased:

    It was his last game in high school and they had lost in the
    playoffs. Irwin embraced his son on the field and held the big kid,
    who was sobbing uncontrollably. His face and body was covered with
    sweat, mud, and bruises.

    Then the opposing team's coach approached the two men. "Sir, may
    have a word with your son?", the coach of the winning team asked.
    The father stepped back and coach grabbed the son's shoulders and
    said softly, "Son, tonight you left nothing on the field. You gave
    it your all, and it was an honor to play against you."
    http://galtconsulting.blogspot.com/2009/01/leave-nothing-on-field.html

Neal

On 11/12/2016 11:41 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> On Nov 12, 2016, at 11:32 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>> But *what* is being left on the field? If the phrase suggests anything to
>> me, it's the idea that any ill feelings should be left on the field.
>>
>> Not at all what is meant now.
>>
>> JL
> No, it's the *effort* that they expended--they gave it 110% on the field, they didn't hold anything back, etc.
>
>
>> On Sat, Nov 12, 2016 at 10:51 AM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> It's an old expression beloved of football coaches and sportscasters.
>>>
>>>
>>> --Charlie
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
>>> Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2016 8:32:47 AM
>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>> Subject: leave it all on the field
>>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      leave it all on the field
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -------------------
>>>
>>> Hillary Clinton told her campaign workers, "You left it all on the field,
>>> every single one of you."
>>>
>>> Despite what you might think, "leaving everything on the field" is a *good*
>>> thing.  It means bringing everything to bear, going all out - though I'd
>>> like to know why.
>>>
>>> I first heard the phrase some months ago (from Kellyanne Conway, IIRC), in
>>> the form "We're going to leave everything on the field."
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>> --
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
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>>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
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-- 
Dr. Neal Whitman
Lecturer, ESL Composition
School of Teaching and Learning
College of Education and Human Ecology
Arps Hall
1945 North High Street
whitman.11 at osu.edu
(614) 260-1622


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