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Rifleman
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:19 pm
Post subject: tilt the playing field too far... |
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I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
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david56
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:45 pm
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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Rifleman typed thus:
| Quote: | I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
|
There is a concept of the "level playing field", which means a fair
environment in which both sides have the same chances. A playing
field which slopes favours the side which is playing down the slope.
Tilting (making a slope on) the playing field so that your enemy is
playing downhill is a bad thing, as it gives them a higher chance of
winning.
So it means: you didn't want to change things to make it easier for
your opponent to win.
--
David
===== |
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Rifleman
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 11:27 pm
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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"david56" <bass.c.voice@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1bb524ff8127d14698a81a@news.individual.net...
| Quote: | Rifleman typed thus:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
There is a concept of the "level playing field", which means a fair
environment in which both sides have the same chances. A playing
field which slopes favours the side which is playing down the slope.
Tilting (making a slope on) the playing field so that your enemy is
playing downhill is a bad thing, as it gives them a higher chance of
winning.
So it means: you didn't want to change things to make it easier for
your opponent to win.
--
David
=====
|
Thank you David. Now I perfectly understood.
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Don Phillipson
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:31 pm
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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"Rifleman" <tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cif2l2$lu7$1@news1.kornet.net...
| Quote: | I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour." |
The sentence mixes two metaphors.
1. Level Playing Field indicates fairness and equality,
as in political debates in a democracy etc. The
phrase comes from soccer. If one goal is higher
than the other, the team attacking downhill has
an unfair advantage.
2. Tilt indicates unfair advantage in a pinball
machine (of US type. Gottlieb and other brands
of pinball machine are designed to detect players'
attempting to shake the machine overall, and
stop play illuminating a sign that reads "Tilt.")
This sentence and others about which you
currently ask suggest this particular book is not
a suitable model of clear English prose.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada) |
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meirman
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:49 am
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
<tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
| Quote: | I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
|
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
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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david56
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 1:48 pm
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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meirman typed thus:
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
|
One can if one is playing Subbuteo.
--
David
===== |
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CB
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:03 pm
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:kcppk0pa82uk6t2n95nfkfdkgih84dvlu7@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
|
This is not the Canadian experience. CDB |
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meirman
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 9:43 am
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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|
In alt.english.usage on Sun, 19 Sep 2004 09:03:39 -0400 "CB"
<bellecd@sprint.ca> posted:
| Quote: |
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:kcppk0pa82uk6t2n95nfkfdkgih84dvlu7@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
This is not the Canadian experience. CDB
How do you guys do it? Do you mount the whole stadium on cams or a |
big gimbal?
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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CB
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2004 7:43 pm
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:iaksk0d77vk27105h2ti50jgttlpmtatj3@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Sun, 19 Sep 2004 09:03:39 -0400 "CB"
bellecd@sprint.ca> posted:
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:kcppk0pa82uk6t2n95nfkfdkgih84dvlu7@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and
would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a
sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off
the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
This is not the Canadian experience. CDB
How do you guys do it? Do you mount the whole stadium on cams or a
big gimbal?
|
Not sure how it's done. We negotiate an agreement with the American
government (free trade, beef exports, softwood lumber, protecting the
Great Lakes), and voilą! CDB, but, am I bitter? |
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meirman
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2004 6:35 am
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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|
In alt.english.usage on Mon, 20 Sep 2004 09:43:45 -0400 "CB"
<bellecd@sprint.ca> posted:
| Quote: |
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:iaksk0d77vk27105h2ti50jgttlpmtatj3@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Sun, 19 Sep 2004 09:03:39 -0400 "CB"
bellecd@sprint.ca> posted:
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:kcppk0pa82uk6t2n95nfkfdkgih84dvlu7@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and
would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a
sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off
the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
This is not the Canadian experience. CDB
How do you guys do it? Do you mount the whole stadium on cams or a
big gimbal?
Not sure how it's done. We negotiate an agreement with the American
government (free trade, beef exports, softwood lumber, protecting the
Great Lakes), and voilĆ ! CDB, but, am I bitter?
|
You probably use cams. It was silly of me to think the whole stadium
has to be on the same platform (resting on the cams). It would just
be the playing field. A big steel or lexan plate, with about 12
inches of gravel and soil on it. That's enough to grow grass.
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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Spehro Pefhany
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2004 6:48 am
Post subject: Re: tilt the playing field too far... |
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On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 20:35:37 -0400, the renowned meirman
<meirman@invalid.com> wrote:
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Mon, 20 Sep 2004 09:43:45 -0400 "CB"
bellecd@sprint.ca> posted:
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:iaksk0d77vk27105h2ti50jgttlpmtatj3@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Sun, 19 Sep 2004 09:03:39 -0400 "CB"
bellecd@sprint.ca> posted:
"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:kcppk0pa82uk6t2n95nfkfdkgih84dvlu7@4ax.com...
In alt.english.usage on Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:19:49 +0900 "Rifleman"
tellmewhatever@hotmail.com> posted:
I can't catch the meaning of the following sentence at all and
would you
please help me?
"You didn't want to tilt the playing field too far in your enemy's
favour."
Please let me know if you need more context. Thanks in advance.
Rifleman
One can look for a level playing field, or one can start with a
sloped
field and use a road grader or a bulldozer to take some dirt off
the
high places and put it in the low places, and make a level playing
field.
But I don't think one can actually tilt a playing field.
This is not the Canadian experience. CDB
How do you guys do it? Do you mount the whole stadium on cams or a
big gimbal?
Not sure how it's done. We negotiate an agreement with the American
government (free trade, beef exports, softwood lumber, protecting the
Great Lakes), and voilą! CDB, but, am I bitter?
You probably use cams. It was silly of me to think the whole stadium
has to be on the same platform (resting on the cams). It would just
be the playing field. A big steel or lexan plate, with about 12
inches of gravel and soil on it. That's enough to grow grass.
|
No, I think the tilt is generated by a kind of crooked spin, centred
in Washington.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
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