[Ads-l] leave it all on the field

[Neal Whitman]

"Leave nothing on the field" might also be a blend with the idiom of 
leaving money on the table (usually in the form of advice not to do so). 
That seems to be how this guy understands it: 
https://davidmbartlett.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/leave-nothing-on-the-table/


Neal

On 11/12/2016 8:47 PM, Neal Whitman wrote:
> 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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>>>>
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the 
>>> truth."
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - 
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>> ------------------------------------------------------------
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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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