Fallen or Fell? – Drop in the Ocean – Definitive
Fallen or Fell?
I’ve had a definitive experience over this word, “definitive.” When we say someone is the definitive leader, for example, it means that person is perfect as the unquestionable leader. It’s a given, or you just can’t find anyone better than that person for that position. Similar to some luxury car being declared to be the definitive luxury car.
An NFL game where both teams suck, and is the worst NFL game you’ve ever seen, could be labeled the “definitive worst game of all time” for you privately so as to set it apart from all of the other bad games that have been broadcast, that you’ve watched.
It’s also used frequently to bolster someone’s credentials, with promotional material that identifies that person either as “a” definitive something or other, or else as “the“ definitive something or other. This could be used for promoting someone new, just starting out in the entertainment big time for example, as they are declared the definitive joke teller or whatever, as they’re being introduced for the first time on TV. It’s kind of like bragging, in a way.
Not every golfer can be “the definitive golfer.” Only one golfer could claim such a title if it existed, but does that stop people from declaring other golfers as being the definitive golfer? Saying instead that some golfer was “a definitive golfer” is pointless, because no one’s interested in a clone of the real thing, especially if the “real thing” is still around.
When we talk about something and say that it’s definitive,
It could be sourcing one thing, but could also be infinitive.
Relating this to one in mind might not be what’s intended,
If others then can also claim that they are just as splendid.
For what I find definitive, may not be what you see;
To you it may be scrap, so you would not agree.
But even scrap’s definitive - recycling it’s pragmatic.
What of the scrap in your garage, and scrap that’s in your attic?
It’s kind of like the commercial where the old person is on the ground and they say, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” If I was in that situation, that isn’t what I’d say. I’d say, “I fell - I’m hurt.” Apparently the company that has the “Help, I’ve fallen…” line has copyrighted that phrase, so their commercials will always suggest that people will speak that ridiculous line in an emergency. I don’t think I’ve ever used the word, fallen; have you? My guess is that they were unable to copyright the variation that most everyone would say - “I fell and need help!”
Fallen or Fell? © free-reign 2019
Sources for images used in this post:
Tiger Woods: Image by David Mark from Pixabay
Medal: Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay
Golfer: Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Winner: Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
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An interesting ramble on the word definitive. Would be a show off word in my neck of the woods. Too many others that do the job adequately.
Please let me in on the use of the words dropintheocean.
You are too kind @justjoy :) For the Drop in the Ocean word of the week challenge, you can join the discord here: https://discord.gg/3d5H3K8 to see the word of the week, and on Mondays at 7PM – UTC / 3PM EST we have the discussion show for the posts. Next week's word hasn't been chosen yet, but you can find it on the discord under the Drop in the Ocean Show channel soon. It would be great if you'd like to join us!
UPDATE: The word has been chosen for next Monday's show. The word of the week is MOTLEY.
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Words are spells! We're literally magicians!
I thought for sure I had replied to you as I remember reading your comment, but I see that I did not. Thank you for reading! I didn't like writing most of this piece very much, but I did like writing the little poem! :)
Better late than never right. I thought I read this but seems I never did because I am a definitively bad person :) I like the alternatives they do fit much better, and it just struck me that for literature I would even prefer comprehensive over definitive if only to avoid any form of opinion which I think is what definitive brings to the table and your post points out... I think. Definitive seems to just be an agreed-upon opinion with strong evidence. Glad I made sure to read since you slipped a nice spigot poem in as I have come to know them.
Haha, I didn't feel very good about this post. I waited too long and struggled with how to write something with this word. At first I planned to write a fictional story, and then decided finally to just write how I feel about using it, and a bit of rambling. I did have fun with the poem though, lol.
But you're right - For all of its "class" as being seen as a more sophisticated way of saying something's the best, it does embody more of an opinion that's not required to be formed from studying backing statistical data.