A Simple Boner

Leaky Nun

May 12, 2017 14:45

0

Q: What does "to give someone boners" mean?

I ran through this phrase on youtube and even google search fail to find any information about it. So what does it mean ?

I'm talking about this post which I answered.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@LeakyNun that should probably be closed as lacking research

Leaky Nun

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 alright

Matt E. Эллен

I'm not sure if "boners" needs to be censored, but the question itself doesn't have enough research

Leaky Nun

But the OP claims to have searched it on youtube and google

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@MattE.Эллен I'd say no

@LeakyNun youtube is not a dictionary

Matt E. Эллен

May 12, 2017 14:48

@LeakyNun They do, but I find it hard to believe that this is the best question they could write after searching

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

It's hardly an obscure term. Google's built-in dictionary shows the definition!

I know that dictionary doesn't show up for everyone world-wide, but come on

Tonepoet

@MattE.Эллен I would not be so sure about that. A verbatim search for "give someone boners" only returns two results, and the only other one other than E.L.U. is an imageboard post that does not attempt to explain what the phrase means. No dictionary entries or anything. You'd have to know to research the word boner specifically, which is perhaps reasonable but perhaps something that eludes the questioner's grasp. 'Tis a borderline case to me...

Part of that might be because "gave someone a boner" is probably the more usual form.

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:12

> unclear what you're asking

Matt E. Эллен

@Tonepoet but giving up after that single search is not enough reseach

Cerberus

Are you people really serious?

You were unable to understand what the OP was asking?

Then how come it is immediately clear to me and, I think, almost everybody else?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Tonepoet surely if you don't understand the phrase "give someone boners" you look up the word "boners" first

Cerberus

> 1.
(slang) a blunder
2.
(slang) an erection of the penis
3.
(NZ) a low-grade slaughtered animal suitable for use in pies, sausages, etc

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

if your problem is with "give" or "someone" you need to start there

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:14

>
A blunder; error; blooper, howler (1910+ Baseball)
A diligent student; bone (1900+ College students)
An erect penis; bone-on, hard-on: The time you coveted your neighbor's wife, you had a big boner/ He walks around with a boner all the time (1950s+)

Matt E. Эллен

@Cerberus is it clear that it was "problems" or "erections" that were given?

Cerberus

Let's see, the only things that seems like a giveable object is the "low-grade slaughtered animal". It would make sense, because of the zombies in the context.

So that must be it. But it still doesn't make sense.

Matt E. Эллен

@Cerberus if it's clear to you and eveyone else, why isn't it clear to the OP?

Cerberus

@MattE.Эллен I...can't parse this.

@MattE.Эллен No, the question is clear to me any everybody else.

You closed it as "unclear what you're asking", which I simply refuse to believe.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus if it helps, I voted "show your research"

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:16

He said he Googled it.

That seems reasonable enough?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

The op replied that "of course" there are boners on google, but that didn't answer the question to them, except that the accepted answer just restates the definition

@Cerberus I refuse to believe that you could google the definition of a word like "boners" and not find an answer.

I mean, come on.

Matt E. Эллен

@Cerberus no. Google is never enough.

Tonepoet

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 He means probably means "Oh! Of course!" as in he's shocked that he didn't consider doing that.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇, of course there would be "boner" on google, I apologize I didn't add the context — Nhu Thai Sanh Nguyen 23 mins ago

Leaky Nun

are we still talking about the boners?

Matt E. Эллен

May 12, 2017 15:18

@Cerberus you say the question is clear. from the context given (none at all) can you decide which meaning of boner is useful

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

It seems to me that they're saying that Google didn't provide the answer.

Leaky Nun

By the way, is asking for history of English off topic? (i.e. asking for the earliest attestation for something)

Cerberus

@MattE.Эллен It's extremely likely that it is about erections, so I think an answer can reasonably state that.

That question really isn't "unclear what you're asking" at all.

Can you imagine what people will think who come to this site and see that a super clear question is closed for that reason?

Besides, the Youtube video he added is clearly about erections and not about low-grade animals.

Tonepoet

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Right. What probably should've been done is showing us which google search they performed in my opinion...

Matt E. Эллен

added after I closed. and no, Cerb, the question is not clear. without context, it is difficult to be sure. that's why I closed it

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

May 12, 2017 15:22

@Cerberus The question was closed before that edit was made.

Cerberus

It's not difficult at all to be sure.

Neither before nor after the edit.

Tonepoet

@MattE.Эллен A link was added to fix that and I'm making an edit to include the text now...

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Cerb: should the question be open? Is that what you're saying? Or are you just complaining about the close reason?

Cerberus

It's just not true.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Because even with context it's still gen-ref

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:23

I am complaining about the closing reason.

I think the question belongs on ELL.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

So if Matt re-opens then re-closes as gen-ref....?

Cerberus

Because it's too simple.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

does ELL accept questions like this?

Cerberus

If it doesn't, then it should stay here.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

"what does give someone apples mean?" "what does give someone punches mean?" "what does give someone X mean?"

It's a totally plain, straight-forward sentence with no evidence of any subtext or metaphor or anything!

you just need to look up what X means

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:25

You know that.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

everyone knows that

Tonepoet

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 That's probably a good reason it should be on E.L.L.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

you know it too

@Tonepoet no, I'd guess it's too basic even for there

Cerberus

But do you think the OP knows it?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus yes. they ought to know it.

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:26

Would he ask this question if he did?

Matt E. Эллен

reps

Cerberus

"Ought"?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

and: if they don't know it, they should state what they know.

@Cerberus laziness

Cerberus

The question is just not unclear.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

If you think a sentence's true meaning doesn't match its literal meaning, then ask THAT

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:27

The default context makes it clear enough.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

"Does the phrase gave someone boners refer to causing a male erection in this context?" would be a perfectly valid question

Matt E. Эллен

We get enough badly formed questions. putting one on hold to make it clear is a good thing. I won't change my mind about that

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@MattE.Эллен I think a better close reason is "gen-ref" because even though we don't know which meaning the OP needs, they're BOTH commonly known and in dictionaries.

Cerberus

It's simply not true that we cannot understand what the OP is asking.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, with no context, can you guess what sense of a word is needed?

Matt E. Эллен

May 12, 2017 15:30

I was true until the context was given

now there is context I'm happy to let the community decide that it's gen ref.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Of course I can, because the default context is clear enough.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus the default context?

Matt E. Эллен

you can feel good because you guessed correctly, but that doesn't change that you're wrong about me closing it

Cerberus

We should hold a survey among people who don't happen to be high-reps on ELU.

"Do you think you understand this question?"

What do you think the results will be?

Matt E. Эллен

and that wouldn't prove a thing

because they guessed correctly this one time doesn't mean that the question is clear

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:33

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 When little explicit context is given, one assumes a default context. In this case, frequency alone is enough context to tell you what it must be about.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus The OP is asking for the definition of a commonly-known word. Why would they even ask that if the default context makes it clear what definition is needed? Either the question is unclear or it's extremely gen-ref

Matt E. Эллен

next time we have a question as vague as this and we tell them it's about penises when it's about problems I'll know I'm doing my job correctly and you are wrong

Cerberus

The context is clear to people who know English well, the target group.

@MattE.Эллен I look forward to that day.

Don't forget to ping me.

Matt E. Эллен

:D

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus frequency alone should make it less likely that that definition is what is needed, otherwise the OP should already know it.

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:35

No, because the OP's English is not very...developed.

The OP is not the target group.

Matt E. Эллен

@Tonepoet are you still editing?

Tonepoet

@MattE.Эллен Just finished.

Cerberus

Suppose you were babysitting your nephew, and he asked you, "uncle, what does give someone boners mean?".

Matt E. Эллен

@Tonepoet thanks!

Cerberus

Would you answer, "I really have no idea what you're asking; your question is impossible to answer"?

Matt E. Эллен

May 12, 2017 15:37

everyone can feel free to vote to reclose

Leaky Nun

@Cerberus ELL requires research. teaching your nephew doesn't.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, first, I would ask for context. Second, I would tell him to look it up in a dictionary.

Matt E. Эллен

@Cerberus I would say "who told you the word 'boners'?"

i.e. I would request more context

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

arg! I can't re-vote to close

it's still gen-ref

Cerberus

You would not tell him you had no idea what he meant.

Leaky Nun

May 12, 2017 15:39

@Cerberus we aren't teaching our nephews here.

Matt E. Эллен

@Cerberus and I didn't do that to the OP here. I spelled out what I wanted to know

Leaky Nun

we expect them to conduct research on their own before asking on ELL.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus I might, if I didn't know what definition he needed. "What does X mean" often needs context.

I frequently tell my kids that I can't understand what they're saying, and ask them to rephrase or provide more information.

Cerberus

@LeakyNun So...you answered him anyway?

Leaky Nun

@Cerberus shhhh.

Cerberus

May 12, 2017 15:40

remains silent

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