[Ads-l] Query: "take a knee"

[Laurence Horn]

As I think we’ve discussed, quarterbacks were described as taking a knee when their team is ahead at the end of the game and just waiting out the clock, or at the end of a half when there isn’t enough time to safely mount a drive.  No political motivation (or stand-taking) in these cases, but since the activity was described as taking a knee, it seems plausible that the socially motivated action by Colin Kaepernick and others that is structurally identical but functionally distinct would be described in the same way.  But I’m not sure why quarterbacks running out the clock with this action were originally described as *taking* a knee (although “kneeling” was also used).  I can’t remember if “Tebowing” (the one-knee-kneeling-in-prayer motion practiced by Tebow and other quarterbacks after scoring a touchdown) was also described as “taking a knee”, although I suspect so.   

LH

> On Dec 15, 2018, at 1:40 PM, Mark Mandel <mark.a.mandel at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Possibly related to "take a stand [metaphorical, but meaningful in this
> context] / position [approximately ditto] / seat"?
> 
> Mark
> 
> On Sat, Dec 15, 2018, 12:43 PM Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu wrote:
> 
>> I've received a query: Why do we say "take
>> 
>> a knee" (e.g. of football players)?  In what way is
>> 
>> a knee "taken"?
>> 
>> Would anyone have an explanation?
>> 
>> 
>> Gerald Cohen
>> 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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