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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Meaning into words
I have come across a sentence which really puzzles me. Could a native speaker give some advice, please.
"national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices". Now, is "partisan" a verb, is "play to" an unusual phrasal verb, (unknown to me) or is it all dead easy?
kind regards
Emil
"national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices". Now, is "partisan" a verb, is "play to" an unusual phrasal verb, (unknown to me) or is it all dead easy?
kind regards
Emil
Top answer
[nq:1]I have come across a sentence which really puzzles me. Could a native speaker give some advice, please. "national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices".
- [nq:1]I have come across a sentence which really puzzles me.
- Could a native speaker give some advice, please.
- "national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices".
- [/nq] Yes.
- "Playing to the crowd" = saying what the audience want to hear, rather than telling the truth.
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4 Answers
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[nq:1]I have come across a sentence which really puzzles me. Could a native speaker give some advice, please. "national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices". Now, is "partisan" a verb,[/nq]
No, it's an adjective modifying "prejudices"
[nq:1]is "play to" an unusual phrasal verb, (unknown to me) or is it all dead easy?[/nq]
Yes.
"Playing to the crowd" = saying what the audience w
No, it's an adjective modifying "prejudices"
[nq:1]is "play to" an unusual phrasal verb, (unknown to me) or is it all dead easy?[/nq]
Yes.
"Playing to the crowd" = saying what the audience w
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"Play to" here means "appeals to an audience of"( in the way a play is performed to a certain audience). "Partisan" is here an adjective describing the prejudices, and means that the prejudices are informed by a one-sided view, perhaps a political one, of events. So, overall, the meaning is that national insecurity confirms and perhaps reinforces entrenched prejudices.
Somebody else will
Somebody else will
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[nq:1]Somebody else will probably be able to explain it better than me.[/nq]
Nonsense! You were spot-on, as usual.
Mike.
Nonsense! You were spot-on, as usual.
Mike.
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In our last episode,
,
the lovely and talented Emil Veit
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
[nq:1]I have come across a sentence which really puzzles me. Could a native speaker give some advice, please. "national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices". Now, is "partisan" a verb, is "play to" an unusual phrasal verb, (unknown to me) or is it all dead easy?[/nq]
Here, "partisan" is
,
the lovely and talented Emil Veit
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
[nq:1]I have come across a sentence which really puzzles me. Could a native speaker give some advice, please. "national insecurity plays to partisan prejudices". Now, is "partisan" a verb, is "play to" an unusual phrasal verb, (unknown to me) or is it all dead easy?[/nq]
Here, "partisan" is
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