(no subject)

[jack]

In golf, low scores are good, and there is a term "par", meaning the average expected number of shots to pot a ball in a particular hole: if your number of shots is below par, that's good, and above par, that's bad.

For a long time non-golf metaphoric uses of "par" bothered me. Eventually I decided "below par" could be used to mean (or correspondingly, "above par" the opposite) either numerically lower than average, or worse than average.

This has the advantage that it makes sense to people both ways round, but the disadvantage that the meaning has to be inferred from context. Are we ok with this, or should we attempt to recapture "below par" to mean "worse than average" or even "both worse and numerically lower higher than average"? Was it ever used that restrictedly?

Comments

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I remember studying Macbeth, there was a bit about a vision of three tragic events, the third being behind, and the teacher asking us what it meant, and I was seized with introspection about the difference between the event being behind, ie. having already happened to you, and being behind, ie. approaching you to arrive just after the other two. (And was annoyed that the less you consider, the better answers you give :))

Your analysis sounds good to me, it might not really make sense, but those are the right metaphors...

Moving an event "forward" now reminds me of saying "next tuesday" -- I've always felt it's of uncertain meaning, and though everyone else seems sure, they seem sure about different things. I'll say it on monday, tuesday or wednesday, but avoid it on other days of the week. Though I've never actually had a problem with "forward" (not that I *do* often move meetings forward), I infer the meaning is usually clear from context even if not consistent.