| Author |
Message |
fred
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 6:57 pm
Post subject: ring up a zero |
|
|
In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" the protagonist Willy Loman is
'ringing up a zero', I guess it means something like 'he is a failure'.
I'd be grateful, if anyone could verify it or correct me if I'm wrong.
Alfred Epple
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
the Omrud
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 7:24 pm
Post subject: Re: ring up a zero |
|
|
fred spake thusly:
| Quote: | In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" the protagonist Willy Loman is
'ringing up a zero', I guess it means something like 'he is a failure'.
I'd be grateful, if anyone could verify it or correct me if I'm wrong.
|
I've seen the play but not studied it; however "ring up" often
refers to the operation of a cash register or (UK) till - these were
equipped with bells to warn that the drawer was being opened, hence
"ring".
So "ringing up a zero" could be what we used to call a "no sale" -
that is, a reason to open the cash drawer without making a sale. By
extension, I guess that this phrase means that Willy has failed to
make any sales.
--
David
=====
replace usenet with the |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
John Dean
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 7:44 pm
Post subject: Re: ring up a zero |
|
|
fred wrote:
| Quote: | In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" the protagonist Willy Loman
is 'ringing up a zero', I guess it means something like 'he is a
failure'. I'd be grateful, if anyone could verify it or correct me if
I'm wrong.
|
Yup - a failure. He's a salesman but he isn't making sales. The image I
get is the kind of mechanical till you found in shops of Willy's time
where you pressed down on what looked like typewriter keys, the till
made a ringing noise and the value of the transaction showed up on
little keys in a window. So it was said you could "ring up a sale" and
pressing the appropriate keys a sum like "$2.55" would appear in the
window and the till would make a noise like a kind of bicycle bell. In
Willy's case, the keys show "No Sale".
--
John Dean
Oxford
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fred
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:27 pm
Post subject: Re: ring up a zero |
|
|
the Omrud wrote:
| Quote: | fred spake thusly:
In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" the protagonist Willy Loman is
'ringing up a zero', I guess it means something like 'he is a failure'.
I'd be grateful, if anyone could verify it or correct me if I'm wrong.
I've seen the play but not studied it; however "ring up" often
refers to the operation of a cash register or (UK) till - these were
equipped with bells to warn that the drawer was being opened, hence
"ring".
So "ringing up a zero" could be what we used to call a "no sale" -
that is, a reason to open the cash drawer without making a sale. By
extension, I guess that this phrase means that Willy has failed to
make any sales.
Thank you very much. I am always impressed by the competent and prompt help |
I get in this group.
Fred |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Viv M
Guest
|
| Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 4:29 am
Post subject: Re: ring up a zero |
|
|
John Dean wrote:
| Quote: | fred wrote:
In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" the protagonist Willy Loman
is 'ringing up a zero', I guess it means something like 'he is a
failure'. I'd be grateful, if anyone could verify it or correct me
if I'm wrong.
Yup - a failure. He's a salesman but he isn't making sales. The image
I get is the kind of mechanical till you found in shops of Willy's
time where you pressed down on what looked like typewriter keys, the
till made a ringing noise and the value of the transaction showed up
on little keys in a window. So it was said you could "ring up a sale"
and pressing the appropriate keys a sum like "$2.55" would appear in
the window and the till would make a noise like a kind of bicycle
bell. In Willy's case, the keys show "No Sale".
|
Unlike Omrud I did study DOAS, for 'A' level. Funny how things you
read at that age stick with you; 'it goes with the territory' is a
phrase I use a lot.
DC |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| |
FAQ
Memberlist
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in