Usage of "held high"

[greystroke]

Hi,

I read the following in a book on Indian-English.

" When Kapil Dev held high the 1983 World cup trophy in the balcony of lord's , it was just not a sporting victory."

My question is

1. Is the phrase " held high the 1983 ---- correct?" Is 'held high' used like that?



Could someone clarify , please?

Thanks ,

Arun

[MrPedantic]

Hello Arun, welcome to Using English!

Yes, "held high" is fine. You could also say "held aloft", e.g.

1. When Kapil Dev held aloft the 1983 World Cup trophy on the balcony at Lord's, it was not just a sporting victory.

When you win a trophy, you hold it aloft (i.e. above your head) to show it to the crowd and the waiting photographers

Best wishes,

MrP

[greystroke]

Thanks Mr. Pedantic, I always thought it should be ' Kapid Dev held the ----- high i.e verb+ noun/noun phrase +adj.( As in Held his head high' ).

Thanks for the clarification.

Arun

[MrPedantic]

Hello Arun,

"To hold something high" is also fine; and a set phrase such as "to hold one's head high" is always likely to appear with that word order.

Where the "thing held high" consists of a lengthy phrase, however, as in your example, "high" will sometimes be placed after "held".

(There is an additional complication in your example: if we put "high" after "trophy", it seems to attach itself to the phrase "on the balcony", and loses the special sense of "hold high".)

Best wishes,

MrP

[greystroke]

Thank you ,Mr. P.,
Your explanation is very clear.



Arun

[MrPedantic]

You're welcome!

MrP