Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood

Question

1 - What does the given sentence mean? 2 - Is first used as an adverb? 3 - Would the sentence also be correct if to is used in front of draw?

Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood

draw
1 b: to pull up or out of a receptacle or place where seated or carried <draw water from the well> <drew a gun> ; also : to cause to come out of a container or source <draw water for a bath> <the nurse drew a blood sample> <the wound drew blood>

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi Jackson,

1 - What does the given sentence mean?

Consider a boxing match. The first boxer who makes the other guy bleed literally 'draws blood first'.

'To draw first blood' is a set phrase that is used figuratively meaning 'to be the first to hurt one's opponent'.

Your example means that Pakistan is in some kind of conflict, and has scored the first victory, helped by Afridi.

I suspect that in this case, it is a game of cricket.

2 - Is first used as an adverb? No, it's an adjective describing 'blood'.

3 - Would the sentence also be correct if to is used in front of draw? Yes.

Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood

draw none of these definitions fit your example.
1 b: to pull up or out of a receptacle or place where seated or carried <draw water from the well> <drew a gun> ; also : to cause to come out of a container or source <draw water for a bath> <the nurse drew a blood sample> <the wound drew blood>

Best wishes, Clive

AlpheccaStars · Answer

"draw first blood" is an idiom. It is used in the context of a fight or match (war or, sometimes a serious sporting event), when one side or team has won the first skirmish, or scored the first goal.

The idiom originates in sword fighting - the opponent who was first to wound the other is said to have "drawn first blood." Often, after this happens, there is a pause where both sides regroup.

Jackson6612 · Answer

Hi Clive,

Thank you very much for the reply.

CliveThe first boxer who makes the other guy bleed literally 'draws blood first'.

I would have written your above sentence as:
The boxer who makes the other guy bleed first literally 'draws blood first'.

Is my version also correct?

Clive2 - Is first used as an adverb? No, it's an adjective describing 'blood'.

How can it be an adjective? In 'Who ate first?', isn't first functioning as an adverb modifying ate? Please help me to understand why first is an adjective.

Clive3 - Would the sentence also be correct if to is used in front of draw? Yes.

There are many other sentences of this type where to is omitted. Perhaps, such practice is allowed only in modern framework of English language. Is the ommission of to allowed under rigorous grammar rules? I don't think so. In Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood, I see 'Afridi helps Pakistan' and 'draw first blood' as two parts of the sentence. Therefore, something is needed to connect them and that something is preposition to.

Clivenone of these definitions fit your example.

Which one of these definitions of ''http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draw'' will fit my example? Please let me know.

Thank you for reading and answering my questions.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Clive

“The first boxer who makes the other guy bleed literally 'draws blood first'.”

Here's the way I was thinking.

Tom makes Fred bleed. Then Fred makes Tom bleed.

Tom was the first boxer to do it.

Fred was the second boxer to do it.

I would have written your above sentence as:
The boxer who makes the other guy bleed first literally 'draws blood first'.

Is my version also correct? Yes, it's OK.

Clive

“2 - Is first used as an adverb? No, it's an adjective describing 'blood'.”

How can it be an adjective? In 'Who ate first?', isn't first functioning as an adverb modifying ate? Yes, in this example it's an adverb. But it's a different kind of example.

Compare

My first car was a Ford or The first blood was drawn by Pakistan.

It should be easier in these examples to see that it's an adjective.

Please help me to understand why first is an adjective.

Clive

“3 - Would the sentence also be correct if to is used in front of draw? Yes.
”

There are many other sentences of this type where to is omitted. Perhaps, such practice is allowed only in modern framework of English language. Is the ommission of to allowed under rigorous grammar rules? Yes, it's fine. I don't think so. In Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood, I see 'Afridi helps Pakistan' and 'draw first blood' as two parts of the sentence. Therefore, something is needed to connect them and that something is preposition to.

Let me quote from Michael Swan's excellent book, 'Practical English Usage. Section 247, Help.

After 'help', we can use object + infinitive.

Can you help me to find my ring?

We can often use the infinitive without 'to'; in British English, this is rather informal.

Can you help me find my ring?

Help can also be followed directly by an infinitive without an object.

Would you like to help wash up?

Clive

“none of these definitions fit your example.”

Which one of these definitions of will fit my example? Please let me know. Really, I suppose the second one fits. I just hesitated because the verb was being used figuratively.

Thank you for reading and answering my questions. You're the first person to thank me today, I think.

Best wishes, Clive

Afridi helps Pakistan draw first blood

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