[Grammar] Ground

[learningspirit]

I have a question about the usage of the noun "ground" here.

...it had left their relationship on shaky ground.

I could not find a definition that fits this usage. What does "ground" mean here?

 

[bhaisahab]

[h=2]ground noun (AREA OF KNOWLEDGE)[/h] C2 http://dictionary.cambridge.org/help/codes.html an area of knowledge or experience: When the conversation turns to politics he's on familiar ground (= he knows a lot about this subject). Once we'd found some common ground (= things we both knew about) we got on very well together. The lectures covered a lot of ground (= included information on many different subjects). I enjoyed her first novel, but I felt in the second she was going over the same ground (= dealing with the same area of experience).

 

[learningspirit]

@bhaisahab

A relationship is not really an area of knowledge.

 

[tedmc]

"Shaky ground" is used metaphorically to mean an unstable footing.

not a teacher

 

[learningspirit]

@tedmc

Could this be some regional idiom not likely to be found in dictionaries?

 

[Mrfatso]

Not A Teacher

It is certainly a usage that I use in BrE, imagine a building in an area prone to seismic activity it could fall down at any time if there was an earthquake.

 

[Matthew Wai]

' (figurative) The protesters are on shaky ground (= it is not certain that their claims are valid).'── quoted from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/shaky?q=shaky

Not a teacher.

 

[tedmc]

It is "relationship" on shaky ground that the original sentence is about.

Not a teacher

 

[Matthew Wai]

Different figurative meanings apply to different contexts.

Not a teacher.

 

[tedmc]

It is an idiom no doubt but it is not necessarily related to "area of knowledge or experience".
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ground_1?q=ground

not a teacher

 

[learningspirit]

So, the original was poorly written?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

@tedmc

Could this be some regional idiom not likely to be found in dictionaries?

It's not regional, and it's not an idiom. It's a figurative expression.

Shaky means not stable, insubstantial, weak, flimsy, likely to collapse, poorly supported. So to stand on shaky ground is to be in a weak position.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7JCWoxtGLs

(That's how they speak English in Texas.)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

So, the original was poorly written?

It was written well. It means that the relationship is shaky.

 

[tedmc]

It is an idiom according to: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+shaky+ground

just like another idiom "relationship is on the rocks".

not a teacher

 

[learningspirit]

But a good dictionary definition could not be found for this usage of "ground"?

 

[tedmc]

But a good dictionary definition could not be found for this usage of "ground"?

Many good references have been given to you here.

not a teacher