Early-retirement wannabe

kidmugsy

Terron wrote: »

I thought the term was "curve balls"

Googlies would be more English but possibly misleading out of context.

"Googlies" would often be a more accurate metaphor anyway, I suspect. After all a "curveball" is presumably just an out-swinger or in-swinger and therefore less of a surprise than a googly.

marlot

kidmugsy wrote: »

It's absurd because it's borrowed from an American sport about which almost no Briton knows anything...

I've watched more baseball than cricket in the last few years.


We use loads of baseball metaphors in the UK. I can recall a 'ballpark figure', 'the bases are loaded', 'covering all the bases', 'taking a rain check', 'step up to the plate' and 'touch base'.

MallyGirl

'Ballpark figure' started being common in the 80s for me. Unfortunately there was a particularly rotund chap in sales at the time and whenever a ballpark figure was requested people just said his name - poor guy

kidmugsy

marlot wrote: »

We use loads of baseball metaphors in the UK. I can recall a 'ballpark figure', 'the bases are loaded', 'covering all the bases', 'taking a rain check', 'step up to the plate' and 'touch base'.

And very dismal they are: "oh look at me I'm keeping up with a pathetic fashion".

Triumph13

kidmugsy wrote: »

And very dismal they are: "oh look at me I'm keeping up with a pathetic fashion".

Initially perhaps, but the ones that survive are the ones that are actually useful - and by that I don't just mean for games of Bullsh1t Bingo in dull meetings.

atush

I love absurd americanisms for obvious reasons. But I like British ones too.

Numpty anyone?

westv

kidmugsy wrote: »

"Googlies" would often be a more accurate metaphor anyway, I suspect. After all a "curveball" is presumably just an out-swinger or in-swinger and therefore less of a surprise than a googly.

Down it would seem.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curveball

mgdavid

kidmugsy wrote: »

And very dismal they are: "oh look at me I'm keeping up with a pathetic fashion".

Ah, did you never play the game of working them all into one report without anyone noticing? It was things like that used to keep me sane...

kidmugsy

westv wrote: »

Down it would seem.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curveball

Thank you: so top-spin presumably. I used to bowl top-spinners though they were often failed attempts to bowl leg-breaks.

Anyway, now that I know a curveball unexpectedly bends downwards I can see why dull managers use the expression a lot. Their lives must be full of such things.

JoeEngland

kidmugsy wrote: »

Thank you: so top-spin presumably. I used to bowl top-spinners though they were often failed attempts to bowl leg-breaks.

Anyway, now that I know a curveball unexpectedly bends downwards I can see why dull managers use the expression a lot. Their lives must be full of such things.

Curveball is not too bad a term compared to other managerial jargon like getting ducks in a row. Will be glad when I finally give up FT work and don't have to put up with this kind of nonsense in addition to all the other corporate stuff.