[Ads-l] Take a knee

[Wilson Gray]

Wasn't there once a time when there was only a trivial amount of time left
and the winning team had the ball and, though, officially, there was time
left for one more play, running that play would be pointless? So, the
winning team would go into the spread formation, the ball would be snapped
and the quarterback, instead of trying needlessly to run a useless play,
would simply "take a knee" - i.e. drop to one knee - thereby ending the
play and, consequently, the game.

On Sat, Dec 23, 2017 at 10:44 AM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> On 12/23/17 12:00 AM, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
>
>> Date:    Fri, 22 Dec 2017 21:45:22 -0200
>> From:    David Daniel<dad at COARSECOURSES.COM>
>> Subject: Take a knee
>>
>> I would like to know why NFL players are "taking a knee" all over the
>> media
>> instead of "kneeling." I mean, "take is knee" is like: Guy walks into a
>> prosthetics shop. The salesman comes over and says, "Welcome, take a
>> seat."
>> Guy says, "Already got one, thanks, but I'll take a knee."
>> DAD
>>
>
> From my soccer mom experience:
>
> When a kid is injured on the field and the coaches and refs want to halt
> the action, the ref will blow a whistle and the coaches will shout "take a
> knee!" and the players will go down on one knee (in effect making the kids
> stay in one place so that all attention can be directed to the injured
> player).
>
> "Kneeling" can be ambiguous: It can refer to being on both knees. "Take a
> knee" is clear: have one knee down on the ground, and the other bent at 90
> degrees so that foot is on the ground. Also, there would be overtones to
> shouting "kneel!" as opposed to "take a knee."
>
> So, I think "take a knee" has been extended from that usage because of
> ambiguity and connotations of "kneel".
>
> ---Amy West
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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