out lightman'd lightman?

[Punchinello]

"So that's the guy that out lightman'd lightman?"(Lie to Me 112) What does this sentence mean? Thank you in advance.

 

[kfredson]

"So that's the guy that out lightman'd lightman?"(Lie to Me 112) What does this sentence mean? Thank you in advance.

I'm not really sure, but I would imagine it means that he was more lightman-ish than the original lightman. We might say of a basketball player playing brilliantly against the immortal Michael Jordan that he had "out-Jordan'd Jordan."

There is a wry expression that says, "He is just like _________ , only more so." That doesn't make sense logically, of course, but it is a nice expression, nevertheless.

 

[Punchinello]

Thank you! I think I get it now. But what does this "'d" stand for?

 

[BobK]

Thank you! I think I get it now. But what does this "'d" stand for?

It's just the past ending. If they'd written 'out-Lightmaned', it would've invited a mispronunciation (/eɪ/).

b

 

[Punchinello]

Please excuse my ignorance but what's past ending?

 

[BobK]

Please excuse my ignorance but what's past ending?

The suffix that's added to a regular verb to make it past - [e]d.

b

 

[Punchinello]

I see. Thank you!