up the ante

Status
Not open for further replies.

unpakwon

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
I have trouble understanding the following in red. What is it saying in the context?

When I plan a dinner for five or a seminar for fifty, I approach it with just the same respect for the investment each of us is making in the outcome of the gathering. I expect revelation and fransformation and the highest-level contributions from myself and everyone else involved. And if there's a chance to squeeze in a little dancing with my group, I do that, too. Living as if every day is TED is one way to up the ante, let me tell you!

Thank you.
 

JohnParis

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Member Type
Retired Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
France
It's a poker (card game) term.

The "ante" is what all players pay to participate in the game. Each player pays the ante (which is also known as "the stake") so that there is something to win even before anyone gets any cards. Depending on the game and who you are playing with, the ante can be really small (like $1 or $2 if you're playing with friends just to drink beer and smoke cigars) or quite large ($5000) to keep out the riff-raff.
When you raise the ante, you raise the minimum prize (the stakes) of the game.

John
 

emka

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
German
Home Country
Germany
Current Location
Germany
Thank you very much for your explanation. I've always wanted to know where this idiom comes from. I didn't have a clue because I don't play cards and hence don't know the terminology.
 

TheParser

VIP Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
NOT A TEACHER


(1) Mr. Paris has given us all an excellent explanation of "up the ante." I know no

thing about cards.

(2) My dictionary tells me that "up the ante" in plain English means to increase some

action, especially in a conflict. So if country X uses tanks in a war, then maybe

country Y will up the ante by using missiles.

(3) I do not think, however, that your quotation involves conflict. He refers to squeezing

in a little dancing. So I think that he is using the term in a positive manner. When he

has a meeting, he expects the "highest-level contributions" of himself and others.

And, in addition to the "highest-level contributions" from himself and others, he tries

to up the ante, i.e., go beyond those "highest-level contributions." For example, to

even get some time for dancing!

(4) What in the world is TED? I asked Professor Google, but she did not give me an

answer.
 

emka

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
German
Home Country
Germany
Current Location
Germany
Not a teacher.

(4) What in the world is TED? I asked Professor Google, but she did not give me an

answer.

That's what I was asking myself, too. I think it could be an abbreviation (that I'm not familiar with) for The End of Days. Live every day as if it were the last one, i.e. the end of the world. Carpe diem, as it were.
But who knows, maybe I'm completely wrong and somebody will enlighten us here.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
That makes sense to me.
 

JohnParis

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Member Type
Retired Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
France
I have trouble understanding the following in red. What is it saying in the context?

When I plan a dinner for five or a seminar for fifty, I approach it with just the same respect for the investment each of us is making in the outcome of the gathering. I expect revelation and fransformation and the highest-level contributions from myself and everyone else involved. And if there's a chance to squeeze in a little dancing with my group, I do that, too. Living as if every day is TED is one way to up the ante, let me tell you!

Thank you.
The quote itself sounds as if it comes from a manual about event planning and the person speaking is the head of the group planning the event. The speaker sounds like he is motivating his employees to give everything they have to make certain the gathering is a success. He expects his employees to think "outside of the box". The reference to dancing is just one way of saying that his employees should think of anything that will make the event better. Anything.
I believe that TED does stand for "the end of days", and the speaker is asking his employees to live every day as if it was their last so that they will dare to think great and inventive thoughts. By doing this, you make the game of life and business more interesting. You "up the ante" and hence make it all more exciting.
This type of motivational training was first introduced by a man named Dale Breckenridge Carnegie in the United States in 1936. Many people find it inspirational. Many find it banal.
 
Last edited:

unpakwon

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
Thank you all for the kind explanation.

There is some misunderstanding about TED. I'm sorry. I should have explained.
TED refers to "Technology Entertainment Design, an annual multidisciplinary conference", where big minds share "ideas worth spreading" on various issues. The author was greatly inspired by the lectures in the TED conference and is a big fan of TED. And she seems to like TED-like events. Let me provide you with more context.

<<Now, just as you can't eat ice cream every day, you can't expect mind-blowing TED-like experiences every day. Or can you? Here's what I have learned about curating the group experience from participating in TEDGlobal at Oxford and curating TEDxMIA: Every time you put people together, it's an opportunity to invent a new thread of the convertation..... Living as if every day is TED is one way to up the ante, let me tell you!>>
 

JohnParis

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Member Type
Retired Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
France
Of course ! TED .... TED: Ideas worth spreading
I actually thought of this, but decided against mentioning it because the last sentence now doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the text.
Any way, I hope you understand what "up the ante" means :)
Best,
John
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Of course ! TED .... TED: Ideas worth spreading
I actually thought of this, but decided against mentioning it because the last sentence now doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the text.
Any way, I hope you understand what "up the ante" means :)
Best,
John

I agree. Whenever I see "TED" now, I assume it's talking about the seminar/talk site which is full of so much fantastic information. I agree that the final sentence doesn't make sense, though, using that as the definition of TED.

"Living as if every day is a website full of talks..." makes no sense at all.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top