Timeline for What's the meaning of "water down"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jun 10, 2013 at 20:24 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @J.R.: Well, phrasal verb isn't a very precise category, but I'm reasonably happy to accept water down = dilute as (just about) one of them. I'm far less convinced about, say brush off/away = dismiss, but I'd definitely expect a decent dictionary to list brush up = review/reconsolidate previously-acquired knowledge. I'd also note that you can water up a steam locomotive or ship, for example, (replenish onboard water supplies for the engine or passengers) - but it would have to be a very comprehensive dictionary to list that usage. | |
| Jun 10, 2013 at 20:05 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | @Fumble: I'm not marveling that the dictionaries don't list "every possible preposition." I only marveled that they have a separate listing for this particular preposition, but don't list all the meanings. (It's common for a meaning to be missed here and there, but I can usually find some dictionary that will list that extra meaning.) You needn't marvel if you don't want to; I'm going to keep marveling despite your pooh-poohing. Don't water down my joy. ;^) | |
| Jun 10, 2013 at 18:20 | vote | accept | Theo | ||
| Jun 10, 2013 at 14:18 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @J.R.: You can hardly expect dictionaries to list every possible preposition in such contexts. In my brush examples, for instance, I'd say that only brush up (and maybe brush off) can ever really be "phrasal verbs", and in my specific contexts they don't apply anyway. | |
| Jun 10, 2013 at 14:15 | answer | added | FumbleFingers | timeline score: 5 | |
| Jun 10, 2013 at 10:12 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | This is a really cool question. I checked at least five dictionaries, and only found the two meanings listed here. Yet the phrase sounded perfectly natural to me. Gotta love it when an ELL member finds a deficiency in published dictionaries. | |
| Jun 10, 2013 at 8:38 | comment | added | Stephan B | @FumbleFingers: Please convert your comment to an answer. | |
| Jun 9, 2013 at 17:04 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackEnglishLL/status/343775642342522880 | ||
| Jun 9, 2013 at 14:21 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | In this context, to water down the road simply means to wet the road. This is made clear by the remainder of the sentence, which explains that this was being done so that they did not become dusty. | |
| Jun 9, 2013 at 14:10 | history | asked | Theo | CC BY-SA 3.0 |