From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!utcsri!rutgers!ub!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!news.cs.indiana.edu!lynx!carina.unm.edu!bevans Wed Sep 16 21:23:31 EDT 1992
Article 6917 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: bevans@carina.unm.edu (Mathemagician)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: missing verbs (was: Biological Sex Differences...)
Message-ID: <qjzntwk@lynx.unm.edu>
Date: 15 Sep 92 11:25:38 GMT
References: <1992Sep9.162211.11503@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> <1992Sep9.230021.5182@news.media.mit.edu> <1992Sep10.233546.1057@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com>
Organization: Society for the Preservation of E. coli
Lines: 34

In article <1992Sep10.233546.1057@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> bhv@areaplg2.corp.mot.com (Bronis Vidugiris) writes:
>In article <1992Sep9.230021.5182@news.media.mit.edu> minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes:
>)Umm, no.  The problem was to replace phrases like "A defeated B" by a
>)homologous phrase with the same meaning, like "B <verbed> A", where A
>)and B are of equivalent status.  Really, half of the verbs seem to be
>)missing, in this sense.  It is really hard to say that <Jack verbed
>)Jim> in a case in which we regard Jack as coming out the worse for the
>)event. 

>Hmm.  I think there might be a slang expression for 'A deliberately lost'
>though I can't quote one, but it probably wouldn't be in the A <verb> B form,
>it would, like my (deleted) example "A 'choked'" or one of Brian's examples
>above be in the A <past-tense-verb> form.

I threw the game.

This means that the player deliberately lost the game.

Now, as you say, this doesn't normally get used as "A threw B."

I tend to agree with the theory that it's because winning is an active
thing whereas losing is something that happens "to" somebody.  When
you win, you've acquired something.  When you lose, you haven't really
given anything away (what you've won is the game that nobody owns
until somebody wins.)

Now, what *I* want to know is (akin to the comedian I stole this from
but whose name I can't recall) why winners always thank god for their
victories while losers blame themselves ("Yeah, we were doing
great...until Jesus made me fumble!")

-- 
Brian Evans                |     "Bad mood, bad mood...Sure I'm in a bad mood!
bevans@carina.unm.edu      |      I haven't had sex...*EVER!*" -- Virgin Mary


