[Ads-l] Idle curiosity

Sun Jul 12 18:36:52 UTC 2015

> On Jul 12, 2015, at 1:01 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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? 

> It is in an advertisement. It is, at
> worst, a metaphor.
> 
> If the new PBS App said it was clutch, that I would accept as a
> generalization.
> 
> DanG
> 
> On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 12:50 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 12:09 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> =
>> wrote:
>>> =20
>>> Clutch as an adjective in the context of sports is new??
>>> =20
>>> DanG
>> 
>> Seems like it's been generalized, though.  AHD has this for "clutch, =
>> adj.":
>> 
>> adj.=20
>> Informal
>> 1. Being or occurring in a tense or critical situation: won the =
>> championship by sinking a clutch putt.
>> 2. Tending to be successful in tense or critical situations: The coach =
>> relied on her clutch pitcher.
>> 
>> I'm familiar with that use, which curiously the draft addition (Dec. =
>> 2013) for the OED "clutch, n." entry--
>> 
>> 'Of a player: reliable or successful in a situation when the outcome of =
>> a game or competition is at stake; (also) designating a critical moment =
>> in a game; designating (good) play at such a moment.'
>> 
>> --doesn't specify as an adjective.  While most of the cites at that =
>> entry (or in the related entry for "clutch hitter") can also be taken to =
>> be modifying nouns in a nominal compound,=20
>> 
>> 1929   Frederick (Maryland) Post 26 Mar. 3/6   Marty is one of the best =
>> =E2=80=98clutch=E2=80=99 batters in the league. His average is never =
>> very high but he always comes through with his hits when they are most =
>> needed.
>> 1940   Princeton Alumni Weekly 30 Sept. 18/3   Captain Dan Carmichael =
>> proved himself to be a good clutch player in the Harvard contest..and =
>> the Tigers were able to pull the game out of the fire with a desperate =
>> rally.
>> 1960   Los Angeles Times 15 Feb. c2/3 (headline)    Clutch play by =
>> Cranston wins title.
>> 1971   Daily Republic (Mitchell, S. Dakota) 3 Feb. 15/1   The Jacks and =
>> Indians battled on nearly even terms..until some clutch free throw =
>> shooting in the closing moments by Rod Heinrich, Dave Thomas and Paul =
>> Parker put the game away.
>> 1994   T. Boswell Cracking Show v. i. 81   He won't expand his strike =
>> zone in clutch situations to help the team.
>> 
>> another is clearly adjectival,=20
>> 
>> 2012   R. W. Cohen 50 Greatest Players N.Y. Yankees Hist. xxiv. 128   He =
>> had that swing and that heart, he was just totally clutch.
>> 
>> and I've heard this ("X is really clutch", "How clutch is Y!?",  etc.) a =
>> lot in sports contexts too. But in any case, none of these extends in an =
>> obvious way to the case in question (to modify ESPN's app), unless the =
>> implication is that it works well in the clutch, presumably unlike other =
>> apps that chokes up when the pressure is on.
>> 
>> 
>> LH
>> 
>> 
>>> =20
>>> On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 8:26 AM, Arnold Zwicky =
>> <arnold.zwicky at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> =20
>>>> ---------------------- 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
>>>> =20
>>>> =
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>> -----
>>>> =20
>>>>> On Jul 12, 2015, at 5:17 AM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM> =
>> =3D
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> =3D20
>>>>> Just wondering if anyone has anything interesting to say about these =
>> =3D
>>>> words:
>>>>> =3D20
>>>>> Doxx (v.)/-ed/-ing
>>>>> Clutch (adj.?) As in "Watch ESPN [app] is pretty clutch." (Taken =
>> from
>>>>> actual ESPN Radio commercial.)
>>>>> Spend (n.) As in "You can monitor your company's spend [via
>>>> app].=3DE2=3D80=3D9D=3D
>>>> =20
>>>> =20
>>>> =3DE2=3D80=3D9Cclutch=3DE2=3D80=3D9D is new to me.
>>>> =20
>>>> on =3DE2=3D80=3D9Cdoxx=3DE2=3D80=3D9D, on my blog:
>>>> =
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__arnoldzwicky.org_201=
>> 4_10_26_doxxing_&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf=
>> 13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DvwbMa-4SoQ5TS4WsxPcMrT8qAJNZUxLTWZTkviCyV=
>> k8&s=3DUZNf8iNCi5rBmni4syar0j_FyqC0IS0x7TvPMOgCm_w&e=3D=20
>>>> =20
>>>> on the nouning =3DE2=3D80=3D9Cspend=3DE2=3D80=3D9D, on my blog:
>>>> =3D
>>>> =
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__arnoldzwicky.wordpre=
>> ss.com_2012_08_23_annals-2Dof-2Dnouning-2Dand-2Dpeeving-3D&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D=
>> 
>> -dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D=
>> vwbMa-4SoQ5TS4WsxPcMrT8qAJNZUxLTWZTkviCyVk8&s=3DhP4HQXQjpXitvAMoN33l6vNreo=
>> ubdOO_THsEf7PvP_Y&e=3D=20
>>>> /
>>>> =20
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>> 1YcYJn50-RERdZVH7CX1EytGzrWwWKYViecHI&e=3D=20
>>>> =20
>>> =20
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