| Author |
Message |
Rifleman
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:26 pm
Post subject: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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Hello Everyone,
I understand we generally define every recreational activities we do
out-of-door as the 'outdoors' but I meet sometimes with the expression of
'great outdoors' and actually I don't know how I should tell the
difference. Maybe I think the 'outdoors' ought to be more comprehensive,
inclusive of all out-of-door activities like camping, hiking, fishing,
climbing, scuba diving and even an outing in the afternoon and the like, and
then which of them can be grouped into the 'great outdoors' item? Is there a
datum line that divides the outdoors into the two : great outdoors and only
outdoors, or is the 'great' only an vague modifier?
This looks to me like a very silly question but somehow now I'm really
curious to know. Thanks.
Rifleman
Corea
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Harvey Van Sickle
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 8:43 pm
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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On 08 Sep 2004, Rifleman wrote
| Quote: | Hello Everyone,
I understand we generally define every recreational activities we
do out-of-door as the 'outdoors' but I meet sometimes with the
expression of 'great outdoors' and actually I don't know how I
should tell the difference. Maybe I think the 'outdoors' ought to
be more comprehensive, inclusive of all out-of-door activities
like camping, hiking, fishing, climbing, scuba diving and even an
outing in the afternoon and the like, and then which of them can
be grouped into the 'great outdoors' item? Is there a datum line
that divides the outdoors into the two : great outdoors and only
outdoors, or is the 'great' only an vague modifier?
This looks to me like a very silly question but somehow now I'm
really curious to know. Thanks.
|
I think I separate them according to the amount and type of settlement.
"Great Outdoors" would be wilderness or at least "sparsely settled and
unfarmed" areas.
"Outdoors" is everything else -- from your street and your garden
through to farmland.
--
Cheers, Harvey
Ottawa/Toronto/Edmonton for 30 years;
Southern England for the past 22 years.
(for e-mail, change harvey.news to harvey.van) |
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Alan OBrien
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 1:36 am
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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"Rifleman" <tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:chn4ki$94g$1@news1.kornet.net...
| Quote: | Hello Everyone,
I understand we generally define every recreational activities we do
out-of-door as the 'outdoors' but I meet sometimes with the expression of
'great outdoors' and actually I don't know how I should tell the
difference. Maybe I think the 'outdoors' ought to be more comprehensive,
inclusive of all out-of-door activities like camping, hiking, fishing,
climbing, scuba diving and even an outing in the afternoon and the like,
and
then which of them can be grouped into the 'great outdoors' item? Is there
a
datum line that divides the outdoors into the two : great outdoors and
only
outdoors, or is the 'great' only an vague modifier?
This looks to me like a very silly question but somehow now I'm really
curious to know. Thanks.
|
I genuinely thought it was called the great outdoors because it was so
fantastic to be out there.
When you grow up in south London, you tend to think like that.
Alan
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Carmen L. Abruzzi
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:10 am
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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Harvey Van Sickle wrote:
| Quote: | On 08 Sep 2004, Rifleman wrote
Hello Everyone,
I understand we generally define every recreational activities we
do out-of-door as the 'outdoors' but I meet sometimes with the
expression of 'great outdoors' and actually I don't know how I
should tell the difference. Maybe I think the 'outdoors' ought to
be more comprehensive, inclusive of all out-of-door activities
like camping, hiking, fishing, climbing, scuba diving and even an
outing in the afternoon and the like, and then which of them can
be grouped into the 'great outdoors' item? Is there a datum line
that divides the outdoors into the two : great outdoors and only
outdoors, or is the 'great' only an vague modifier?
This looks to me like a very silly question but somehow now I'm
really curious to know. Thanks.
I think I separate them according to the amount and type of settlement.
"Great Outdoors" would be wilderness or at least "sparsely settled and
unfarmed" areas.
"Outdoors" is everything else -- from your street and your garden
through to farmland.
That's exactly it. If you can't run half-a-mile in some |
direction at least, without running into a street or a
building, it's not the "great" outdoors. |
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meirman
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 12:11 pm
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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In alt.english.usage on Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:36:46 GMT "Alan OBrien"
<alaneobrienSPAM@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
| Quote: |
"Rifleman" <tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:chn4ki$94g$1@news1.kornet.net...
Hello Everyone,
I understand we generally define every recreational activities we do
out-of-door as the 'outdoors' but I meet sometimes with the expression of
'great outdoors' and actually I don't know how I should tell the
difference. Maybe I think the 'outdoors' ought to be more comprehensive,
inclusive of all out-of-door activities like camping, hiking, fishing,
climbing, scuba diving and even an outing in the afternoon and the like,
and
then which of them can be grouped into the 'great outdoors' item? Is there
a
datum line that divides the outdoors into the two : great outdoors and
only
outdoors, or is the 'great' only an vague modifier?
This looks to me like a very silly question but somehow now I'm really
curious to know. Thanks.
I genuinely thought it was called the great outdoors because it was so
fantastic to be out there.
When you grow up in south London, you tend to think like that.
Alan
|
If I understand you, I think I agree with you.
I think the great outdoors is found whenever one is outside and
appreciating the birds, the animals, the bugs, or the sky. Otoh, if
one is just outside, he's just outdoors.
I'm not 100% sure that scuba divers are outdoors or in the great
outdoors, even if the sea has no doors. It still seems pretty
confining.
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years |
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 6:45 pm
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:5qsvj0hd806mhbpslmuhn3oe6g03m5j5g9@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:36:46 GMT "Alan OBrien"
alaneobrienSPAM@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
"Rifleman" <tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:chn4ki$94g$1@news1.kornet.net...
[...]
datum line that divides the outdoors into the two : great outdoors and
only
outdoors, or is the 'great' only an vague modifier?
This looks to me like a very silly question but somehow now I'm really
curious to know. Thanks.
I genuinely thought it was called the great outdoors because it was so
fantastic to be out there.
When you grow up in south London, you tend to think like that.
[...]
I think the great outdoors is found whenever one is outside and
appreciating the birds, the animals, the bugs, or the sky. Otoh, if
one is just outside, he's just outdoors.
[...] |
You're right that it's only a vague modifier. In writing, it's a worn-out
cliché,
and it's best not to use it
--
Mike |
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Alan OBrien
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:50 pm
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:5qsvj0hd806mhbpslmuhn3oe6g03m5j5g9@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:36:46 GMT "Alan OBrien"
alaneobrienSPAM@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
"Rifleman" <tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:chn4ki$94g$1@news1.kornet.net...
I'm not 100% sure that scuba divers are outdoors or in the great
outdoors, even if the sea has no doors. It still seems pretty
confining.
|
I think there may be a couple of doors. Have you seen Stingray? |
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meirman
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 1:29 am
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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In alt.english.usage on Thu, 09 Sep 2004 14:50:40 GMT "Alan OBrien"
<alaneobrienSPAM@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
| Quote: |
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:5qsvj0hd806mhbpslmuhn3oe6g03m5j5g9@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Wed, 08 Sep 2004 19:36:46 GMT "Alan OBrien"
alaneobrienSPAM@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
"Rifleman" <tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:chn4ki$94g$1@news1.kornet.net...
I'm not 100% sure that scuba divers are outdoors or in the great
outdoors, even if the sea has no doors. It still seems pretty
confining.
I think there may be a couple of doors. Have you seen Stingray?
|
No. :(
Last I heard that was a car from the 70's.
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years |
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Odysseus
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 12:31 pm
Post subject: Re: Great Outdoors? Which is great? |
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meirman wrote:
| Quote: |
In alt.english.usage on Thu, 09 Sep 2004 14:50:40 GMT "Alan OBrien"
alaneobrienSPAM@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:5qsvj0hd806mhbpslmuhn3oe6g03m5j5g9@4ax.com...
|
[snip]
| Quote: |
I'm not 100% sure that scuba divers are outdoors or in the great
outdoors, even if the sea has no doors. It still seems pretty
confining.
I think there may be a couple of doors. Have you seen Stingray?
No. :(
Last I heard that was a car from the 70's.
|
Among several other decades.
--
Odysseus |
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