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MrPernickety Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary

Usage of "fall short of the mark"

Hi,

I take it that "To fall short of the mark" means "not to perform up to expectations" (to use an analogy in sports, as if the javelin, flung by an athlete, fell short of the desired mark)

Am I right?

Also, could you tell me if you have any problem with this sentence:

I bought a new laptop and gave it a swirl at home but it fell short of the mark and I choked it out the window

Thanks !
  

Top answer

MrPernickety I take it that "To fall short of the mark" means "not to perform up to expectations" (to use an analogy in sports, as if the javelin, flung by an athlete, fell short of the desired mark) Am I right? Yes. MrPernickety Also, could you tell me if you have any problem with this sentence: I bought a new laptop and gave it a swirl at home but it fell short of the mark and I choked it out the window "fell short of the mark" is OK.

— Mr Wordy

  • MrPernickety I take it that "To fall short of the mark" means "not to perform up to expectations" (to use an analogy in sports, as if the javelin, flung by an athlete, fell short of the desired mark) Am I right?
  • Yes.
  • MrPernickety Also, could you tell me if you have any problem with this sentence: I bought a new laptop and gave it a swirl at home but it fell short of the mark and I choked it out the window "fell short of the mark" is OK.
  • I imagine you mean "chucked" not "choked".
  • "out the" is kind of sloppy (though native speakers do say it); the correct form is "out of the window".
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5 Answers
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MrPernickety
I take it that "To fall short of the mark" means "not to perform up to expectations" (to use an analogy in sports, as if the javelin, flung by an athlete, fell short of the desired mark)

Am I right?

Yes.
MrPernickety
Also, could you tell me if you have any problem with this sentence:

I
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Hi,

I feel like choking my PC sometimes.

Clive
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Thank you guys for weighing in with advice !

Out of some strange coincidence I wrote "choked" when in fact I had "chucked" in mind. I have made this mistake all of five times, all told - haven't the faintest why I keep mistaking "choked" for "chucked" ))))

Yeah, I also meant "give it a whirl", don't know what'd gotten into me and made me write "swirl" in place of "whirl". Thanks
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CliveHi,
I feel like choking my PC sometimes.

Clive

I get an image from a thriller or horror film. The poor old computer is on a window ledge, being strangled by a half-crazed nerd.
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hahahaaahaha:)

I`m sorry for that but it`s nice not be alone with it:)

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