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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009Trying for precision
Heard on Sky News this morning: "We have no idea what the decimation of those missiles was."  SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland >Heard on Sky News this morning: > >"We have no idea what the decimation of those missiles was." Presumably it was a lot less than the devastation which they could have caused. Yesterday, the Grauniad had 'Upping the ante' on the front page. This also seems to be well entrenched (usually incorrectly) in the media. SignatureIan > Yesterday, the Grauniad had 'Upping the ante' on the front page. This > also seems to be well entrenched (usually incorrectly) in the media. I don't see anything wrong with "upping the ante". From M-W Online: Main Entry: 1an·te Pronunciation: \'an-te\ Function: noun Etymology: ante- Date: 1821 1: a poker stake usually put up before the deal to build the pot <the dealer called for a dollar ante>2 a: cost , price <these improvements would raise the ante> b: risk , stakes <the new law ups the ante on tax cheats> c: a level (as of achievement or intensity) regarded especially as a goal or standard <the film ups the ante on special effects> SignatureSkitt (AmE) >> Yesterday, the Grauniad had 'Upping the ante' on the front page. This >> also seems to be well entrenched (usually incorrectly) in the media. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >cheats> c: a level (as of achievement or intensity) regarded especially >as a goal or standard <the film ups the ante on special effects> Unfortunately, these days there is also "upping the anti" (escalating the aggression), which is more common. The two seem to get used interchangeably. However, I suppose there are times when definitions 2b and 2c above, or the "anti" version, could be used to describe the same situation. SignatureIan > Unfortunately, these days there is also "upping the anti" (escalating > the aggression), which is more common. The two seem to get used > interchangeably. I've never seen "up the anti" in the US. That may be because there is a wider knowledge of poker over here. "Up the anti" is an error. Where have you seen it? SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email. >> Unfortunately, these days there is also "upping the anti" (escalating >> the aggression), which is more common. The two seem to get used [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >a wider knowledge of poker over here. "Up the anti" is an error. >Where have you seen it? I'm not familiar with it, but there is a "revolutionary politics" journal in Canada calling itself _Upping The Anti_: http://uppingtheanti.org/ Google finds other uses of the phrase which appear to be deliberate puns on "Upping The Ante" and mean increasing the hostility, or words and actions against something. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>> Unfortunately, these days there is also "upping the anti" (escalating >>> the aggression), which is more common. The two seem to get used [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Canada calling itself _Upping The Anti_: > http://uppingtheanti.org/ That's a pun. > Google finds other uses of the phrase which appear to be deliberate puns on > "Upping The Ante" and mean increasing the hostility, or words and actions > against something. And more puns. But has "up the anti" come into anything like common usage? SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email. [...] > And more puns. But has "up the anti" come into anything like common > usage? Wasn't it the BBC's battle cry shortly after commercial television was allowed in Britain? SignatureLes (BrE) >[...] > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Wasn't it the BBC's battle cry shortly after commercial television was >allowed in Britain? Wouldn't that have ben "up the auntie"? SignatureKaty Jennison spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @ >>[...] >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Wouldn't that have ben "up the auntie"? A slogan from their commercial rivals might have been "Up yours, auntie". SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>[...] >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Wouldn't that have ben "up the auntie"? Seems to be an epidemic of vowel pest round here. SignatureLes (BrE) >> [...] >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Wouldn't that have ben "up the auntie"? Whoo hee! >>>> Unfortunately, these days there is also "upping the anti" (escalating >>>> the aggression), which is more common. The two seem to get used [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >And more puns. But has "up the anti" come into anything like common >usage? Not to my knowledge, for what that's worth. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >> Unfortunately, these days there is also "upping the anti" (escalating >> the aggression), which is more common. The two seem to get used [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >a wider knowledge of poker over here. "Up the anti" is an error. >Where have you seen it? I quick search reveals quite a lot of references to the "anti" version. Some are a play on the "ante" version, or where a hyphenated "anti-" is followed by another word. It seems to me that where the meaning is "upping the stakes" (as "increasing the likelihood of conflict"), the "anti" version is easier to understand. If it doesn't really exist, maybe it ought to! SignatureIan |
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