lobsters and tennis, anyone?

Status
Not open for further replies.

hossein31

Member
Joined
May 3, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
Canada
Hi dear friends
I didn't get the meaning of the underlined part? Would you please clarify this part and the previous sentence.

Creativity is mostly a matter of connecting ideas in new ways. Those ideas may be related, or you may bring together two images you never thought you’d picture together (lobsters and tennis, anyone?).

Yours
Hossein
 

Gillnetter

Key Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Hi dear friends
I didn't get the meaning of the underlined part? Would you please clarify this part and the previous sentence.

Creativity is mostly a matter of connecting ideas in new ways. Those ideas may be related, or you may bring together two images you never thought you’d picture together (lobsters and tennis, anyone?).

Yours
Hossein
A creative person brings different ideas together in a unique way. The ideas may be close to each other or they may be very far apart. In the text, lobsters and tennis are mentioned. Generally, one does not associate lobsters with tennis, but there may be a creative way to develop something new by bringing these things together. How about using the shape of a lobster's claw as a model for a new tool to hang tennis racks on?
 

hossein31

Member
Joined
May 3, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
Canada
A creative person brings different ideas together in a unique way. The ideas may be close to each other or they may be very far apart. In the text, lobsters and tennis are mentioned. Generally, one does not associate lobsters with tennis, but there may be a creative way to develop something new by bringing these things together. How about using the shape of a lobster's claw as a model for a new tool to hang tennis racks on?
many thanks for your helpful reply. But I have another question that I forgot to mention in my previous post. What does this "anyone"? mean here? I mean it should be an abbreviated form of a question, shouldn't it? So what is the complete form of this question?
 
Last edited:

charliedeut

VIP Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Spanish
Home Country
Spain
Current Location
Spain
many thanks for your helpful reply. But I have another question that I forgot to mention in my previous post. What does this "anyone"? mean here? I mean it should be an abbreviated form of a question, shouldn't be? So what is the complete form of this question?

"Could anyone (any of you) come up with an idea associating lobsters and tennis?" The wording, as I read it, is intended as a semi-pun/semi-challenge for the speaker's team/audience.

charliedeut
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
That's one possible interpretation. There is a common expression - 'Anyone for tennis?', which means 'Would anyone like to come and play tennis with me?' Another possible format is 'Tennis, anyone?' So when I saw 'Lobsters and tennis anyone?' I read it as an invitation - a pretty weird invitation; but lobsters have a place in the history of the surreal. (At Tate Modern I have seen Dali's lobster telephone. ;-)

b
 

charliedeut

VIP Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Spanish
Home Country
Spain
Current Location
Spain
That's one possible interpretation. There is a common expression - 'Anyone for tennis?', which means 'Would anyone like to come and play tennis with me?' Another possible format is 'Tennis, anyone?' So when I saw 'Lobsters and tennis anyone?' I read it as an invitation - a pretty weird invitation; but lobsters have a place in the history of the surreal. (At Tate Modern I have seen Dali's lobster telephone. ;-)

b

But I believe that our beloved context, in this case, makes it highly unllikely (at the very least) for the phrase to be meant as an invitation.

charliedeut
 

SoothingDave

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
But I believe that our beloved context, in this case, makes it highly unllikely (at the very least) for the phrase to be meant as an invitation.

"Tennis, anyone?" or "Anyone for tennis?" is a common phrase. Or was.

Re: Tennis, anyone?
 

charliedeut

VIP Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Spanish
Home Country
Spain
Current Location
Spain
"Tennis, anyone?" or "Anyone for tennis?" is a common phrase. Or was.

Re: Tennis, anyone?

Hi,

I understand that. Besides, since I am not a native English speaker and I'm living in Spain, I cannot even think of discussing that part.

My objection to BobK's comment was about "lobsters and tennis, anyone?" in the original post, and his reading it as an invitation. I'm sorry if I failed to state that clearly.

charliedeut
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Location
Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
But I believe that our beloved context, in this case, makes it highly unllikely (at the very least) for the phrase to be meant as an invitation.

charliedeut

:) I think we're agreed that it's an invitation. For you, it's an invitation to make a suggestion: 'Could anyone (any of you) come up with an idea...'. You could well be right about the context; you must excuse my predilection for cantatrices chauves!
 

Cory Sampson

Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
No offense to charlie, but I think I agree with BobK on the issue. Its phrasing is evocative of the colloquial invitation, "tennis, anyone?", which suggests that it's a non sequitur. I would have written it in quotation marks and parentheses had I been the one to draft that sentence, but I think the non sequitur was what they were going for in this case. The "anyone" does not have to refer to the readers if it is a non sequitur - in fact, it would be counterintuitive to think about it that way.


In short, I'm going to go with non sequitur to demonstrate the idea of an uncommon combination of things, designed to stimulate creative thought (ie, the idea of someone warmly inviting someone over for tennis and lobsters, whatever that would look like).
 

charliedeut

VIP Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Spanish
Home Country
Spain
Current Location
Spain
Reasoned answers are seldom offensive. :up:

charliedeut
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top