clipped the line

[angliholic]

OMG! return from CJ clipped the line dueue 20-20.



The above is described by a badminton fan about a game between CJ and WCH. What does the clipped the line mean? Thanks.

[BobK]

OMG! return from CJ clipped the line dueue 20-20.



The above is described by a badminton fan about a game between CJ and WCH. What does the clipped the line mean? Thanks.

The shuttlecock landed just in; it was not clearly in, but just touched the line.

b

[angliholic]

Thanks, Bob.
I get it now.
Interesting--clipped the line;landed just in;just touched the line!
By the way, is it right to say The birdie just hit the line?

[BobK]

'just hit the line' sounds a bit odd to me - 'hit' sounds more substantial: 'it hit the line slap bang in the middle'. So it doesn't go well with 'just'.

For the 'clipped' case, you could also say 'it grazed the line', or - informally - 'it greased the line'... hmmm - not sure about that last one now I come to think of it. Things that grease something are usually potentially harmful - 'a bullet greased my arm'.; or, in a Dire Straits song, a skater lets a lorry 'grease her hip'.

b

[angliholic]

Thanks, Bob.
I find the version very amusing--it hit the line slap bang in the middle.
I presume slap bang is very descriptive and functions as a verb, right?

[BobK]

- an adverb, and - I should have said - quite informal. If something hits 'in the middle' you can reinforce it progressively:

in the middle
bang in the middle/right in the middle
slap bang in the middle
right slap bang in the middle

'Right in the middle' is least informal; it would be perfectly OK in the classroom, say.

b

[angliholic]

] - an adverb, and - I should have said[/B] - quite informal. If something hits 'in the middle' you can reinforce it progressively:

in the middle
bang in the middle/right in the middle
slap bang in the middle
right slap bang in the middle

'Right in the middle' is least informal; it would be perfectly OK in the classroom, say.

b

Thanks, Bob, for the further explanation.
By the way, does the "thumb down" mean no? Then, what part of speech is it?

[BobK]

Sorry - the typos made it unclear. Yes: the thumbs down means No: 'bang' is either an adverb or, some might say, a particle reinforcing an adverb phrase ("in the middle").

b