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Mr. Tom Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

He wants everything on a platter.

Hi

Would you say that "a platter" and "the platter" carry the same meaning here-- and "the" is only a bit more emphatic here.

He wants everything on a platter.

He wants everything on the platter.

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

No, only "a" is natural. There is no real platter - it just means that it wants all the hard parts done for him with no work on his part. If you say he wanted someone "served up on a platter," that's a reference to the beheading of John the Baptist, and it means he wants that person eliminated -- not really murdered, just fired or removed from the project, or possibly brought before him, where he will be in a great deal of trouble.

— BarbaraPA

  • No, only "a" is natural.
  • There is no real platter - it just means that it wants all the hard parts done for him with no work on his part.
  • If you say he wanted someone "served up on a platter," that's a reference to the beheading of John the Baptist, and it means he wants that person eliminated -- not really murdered, just fired or removed from the project, or possibly brought before him, where he will be in a great deal of trouble.
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1 Answers
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No, only "a" is natural.

There is no real platter - it just means that it wants all the hard parts done for him with no work on his part.

If you say he wanted someone "served up on a platter," that's a reference to the beheading of John the Baptist, and it means he wants that person eliminated -- not really murdered, just fired or removed from the project, or possibly brought b
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