"Proxodnoy": a follow-up

[Steve Marder]

Several days ago I posed the following question to SEELANGS:

> Could anyone provide a convincing English rendering for the word
> "proxodnoy" in a sports context, e.g., proxodnaya igra (vstrecha),
> proxodnoy match, poedinok?

This message is a follow-up to that posting and incorporates readers¹
responses and the results of my own research on the question.

I proceeded as follows: I examined several hundred examples on the Russian
Internet in which ³proxodnoy² (³proxodnaya²) is used in combination with
³igra,² ³vstrecha,² ³match,² ³poedinok,² and ³boy.² I came away with two
conclusions:

1. Overall, people tend to have a negative attitude towards such encounters
since they do not lead to anything substantial, for example, advancement to
the next higher level or to a qualifying round or a win in some series,
league, tournament or championship, nor is there any prestige value in
gaining a hollow victory. As a result, such games are the antithesis of
crowd-pullers since they do not involve the kind of competition inherent in
a ³must-win.² Not infrequently, the major television networks are not
interested in broadcasting them.

2. Such competitions are often uninteresting matches in which two weak teams
(or players) listlessly play or battle against each other, or a lopsided
encounter in which spectators are witnesses to a strong team (favorite) who
is pitted against a rank outsider. In the latter cases it is usually a
³no-brainer² who will win the contest.

I then gave careful consideration to the approximately dozen responses I
received to my question, and to these I added my own interpretation of
³proxodnaya igra,² etc. My conclusion? If I had to choose a single, overall
³winner,² at the moment I would opt for the generic term ³non-elimination²
as the equivalent of ³proxodnoy,² although depending on context,
³non-qualifying,² ³non-title,² and ³non-league² could all be equally good
equivalents. Also, I feel that in many cases ³meaningless game² is a very
fine choice. In cases where the two sides are unevenly matched, ³cakewalk,²
³piece of cake,² ³pushover,² ³walkover² or ³walkaway² might be appropriate
equivalents of the adj.+noun.

To give but a single example in a specific sport: when ³proxodnoy poedinok²
(³proxodnoy boy²) refers to boxing, then ³non-title fight (bout)² would
arguably be the best choice. To take this example one step further,
³proxodnoy poedinok² (³boy²) could also be the equivalent of a ³non-feature
event² which precedes the ³feature event² during an evening of boxing.

I do not by any means feel that this is the end of the matter as far as a
discussion of ³proxodnoy² is concerned; indeed, continued reader feedback is
most welcome. However, it might be prudent to channel any comments to me
personally rather than monopolize bandwidth in a forum which concerns itself
with matters which go well beyond the discussion of a single word or term.
Future follow-ups are always a possibility.

Finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation to SEELANGS readers
who took the trouble to respond to my question and share their inestimable
combined knowledge with the listserver.

Steve Marder

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