Sank or sunk

Of course it is. You're a photographer.

 

Stephen Ames dropped a walk-off putt. [/espn]

 

And the sun doesn't set. The earth just rotates.

People like you take the joy out of writing.

 

Yeah, sorry about that. I just thought being correct was more important than having "joy" in writing. Maybe I'm in the wrong business.

And yes, according to one of the many definitions of set ("to pass below the horizon"), the sun does set.

 

The most defined word in the whole language. From my reading, you can use it whenever, where ever you want...

Main Entry: set
Pronunciation: 'set
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): set; set·ting
Etymology: Middle English setten, from Old English settan; akin to Old High German sezzen to set, Old English sittan to sit
transitive verb
1 : to cause to sit : place in or on a seat
2 a : to put (a fowl) on eggs to hatch them b : to put (eggs) for hatching under a fowl or into an incubator
3 : to place (oneself) in position to start running in a race
4 a : to place with care or deliberate purpose and with relative stability <set a ladder against the wall> <set a stone on the grave> b : TRANSPLANT 1 <set seedlings> c (1) : to make (as a trap) ready to catch prey (2) : to fix (a hook) firmly into the jaw of a fish d : to put aside (as dough containing yeast) for fermenting
5 : to direct with fixed attention <set your mind to it>
6 a : to cause to assume a specified condition, relation, or occupation <slaves were set free> <set the house on fire> b : to cause the start of <set a fire>
7 a : to appoint or assign to an office or duty b : POST, STATION
8 : to cause to assume a specified posture or position <set the door ajar>
9 a : to fix as a distinguishing imprint, sign, or appearance <the years have set their mark on him> b : AFFIX c : APPLY <set a match to kindling>
10 : to fix or decide on as a time, limit, or regulation : PRESCRIBE <set a wedding day> <set the rules for the game>
11 a : to establish as the highest level or best performance <set a record for the half mile> b : to furnish as a pattern or model <set an example of generosity> c : to allot as a task <setting lessons for the children to work upon at home -- Manchester Examiner>
12 a : to adjust (a device and especially a measuring device) to a desired position <set the alarm for 7:00> <set a thermostat at 68>; also : to adjust (as a clock) in conformity with a standard b : to restore to normal position or connection when dislocated or fractured <set a broken bone> c : to spread to the wind <set the sails>
13 a : to put in order for use <set a place for a guest> b : to make scenically ready for a performance <set the stage> c (1) : to arrange (type) for printing <set type by hand> (2) : to put into type or its equivalent (as on film) <set the first word in italic>
14 a : to put a fine edge on by grinding or honing <set a razor> b : to bend slightly the tooth points of (a saw) alternately in opposite directions c : to sink (the head of a nail) below the surface
15 : to fix in a desired position (as by heating or stretching)
16 : to arrange (hair) in a desired style by using implements (as curlers, rollers, or clips) and gels or lotions
17 a : to adorn with something affixed or infixed : STUD, DOT <clear sky set with stars> b : to fix (as a precious stone) in a border of metal : place in a setting c : to place in a specified literary or dramatic setting <a story set in Paris>
18 a : to hold something in regard or esteem at the rate of <sets a great deal by daily exercise> b : to place in a relative rank or category <set duty before pleasure> c : to fix at a certain amount <set bail at $500> d : VALUE, RATE <their promises were set at naught> e : to place as an estimate of worth <set a high value on life>
19 : to place in relation for comparison or balance <theory set against practice>
20 a : to direct to action b : to incite to attack or antagonism <war sets brother against brother>
21 a : to place by transporting <was set ashore on the island> b : to put in motion c : to put and fix in a direction <set our faces toward home once more> d of a dog : to point out the position of (game) by holding a fixed attitude
22 : to defeat (an opponent or a contract) in bridge
23 a : to fix firmly : make immobile : give rigid form or condition to <set her jaw in determination> b : to make unyielding or obstinate
24 : to cause to become firm or solid <set milk for cheese>
25 : to cause (as fruit or seed) to develop

 

The most versatile word in the English language, however, is "fuck." Click here to find out how this is so.

 

Yeah, but that's a passive verb, and grammarians prefer action verbs.

I don't see that one anywhere in fishwrapper's post.

 

I sincerely hope, for the sake of journalism, that you are not serious.

 

Enlighten me by telling me which number definition applies to the sun. And don't try 14c. That's in reference to a fixed setting, as in a diamond or, in the example given, a nail.

Now, since you're little brain can't fathom the point I'm making, I'll let you off the hook by telling you the sun most certainly can set. It doesn't need to be defined specifically in Webster's to make it so.

For the sake of journalism, get over yourself and your little rules. You most certainly can sink a putt, just as easily as you can make a basket -- even though in your mind somebody at the AMF company actually made the basket on an assembly line, and, hey, it hasn't actually been a basket for decades; it's more like a mesh tube.

Suck rocks.

 

I am very concerned when a so-called journalist tells me to get over my "little rules" about proper usage and grammar. Those "little rules" are essential tools of our trade.

I am very, very concerned when a so-called journalist says "it doesn't need to be defined specifically" to make it so. Something that is not defined specifically has little use in journalism.

I am also extremely concerned when a so-called journalist gets their facts from a post on SportsJournalists.com, so here is the enlightenment for which you asked: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/set

I think you will find that Merriam-Webster (or any other dictionary) offers a much more complete definition than fishwrapper's post. And just so there's no confusion, it's definition number 6a under the intransitive verb entry.

But thanks for letting me off the hook.

Your "make a basket" example is irrelevant because, according to Merriam Webster, you can make a basket. See definition 3b here: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/basket

You are correct when you say my "little brain can't fathom the point" you are making because you haven't yet made a point that is valid. I contend that the phrase "sank a putt" is grammatically incorrect. Please enlighten me as to how that phrase is grammatically correct.

 

Your posts scream Editor With An Asshole So Tight You Can't Jam A Pica Pole Up There With If You Shot It Out Of A Bazooka From Point-Blank Range.

Dude, I feel sorry for your readers and, if you are an editor, the writers on your staff. Writing is an art. Making everything so freaking literal and rigidly defined must make you a real joy.

My reference to your little rule isn't about quoting dictionaries (more illustration that you must be a laugh-riot at the water cooler). I was referring to your bad-ass edict that you cannot sink a putt.

From third graph of July 2005 Frank Deford story:
Incredibly, Jacklin eagled the 17th hole to level the match. With only one hole left, the whole Ryder Cup was at a tie. On the 18th green, Nicklaus had a four-foot putt for par, Jacklin a two-footer. Nicklaus sank his putt. It was Jacklin's turn.

From fourth graph of July 2005 Joe Posnanski column:
He wrecked it again Monday, wrecked it with an 11-foot putt that dropped in the heart of the cup and, one more time, left Kansas City's Tom Watson staggered, stunned and in second place in his own hometown. This was five years after Quigley sank a 12-foot putt to beat Watson in Kansas City.

From fourth graph of May 2006 Bud Shaw column:
By the time he reached the final hole and sank a birdie putt to a roar from the crowd, he waved at his golf ball as if to say "So, now you go in."

From third graph of July 2003 Randall Mell story:
He watched one of the most dramatic conclusions in U.S. Women's Open history on television, wondering if the tension could get any thicker when Stanford sank a 24-foot birdie to tie Lunke for the lead at the final hole.

From fourth graph of May 2000 Randall Mell story:
When Stewart sank that last putt at Pinehurst and punched his fist into the air, Mickelson's heart sank. It made him 0 for 28 in major championships. At the time, he wanted a chance at Stewart in a Monday playoff. Of course, he didn't know his wife, Amy, would give birth to their first child, Amanda, on that same Monday. He didn't know Stewart would die in a plane crash four months later.

From lead of July 2005 Bill Plaschke column:
Lining up a 13-foot birdie putt on the final hole, he knew he had one chance at a fitting goodbye.

He said it.

He sank it.


From fourth graph of August 2006 Mark Whicker story:
Nothing on Saturday indicated he wouldn't. Woods missed the first green, sank a long putt for par anyway, and didn't miss another. He had eight birdies and hit some shots that deserve prominent play in his own endless highlight video.

From first graph of April 2006 Alan Shipnuck SI piece:
Ten years. Has it really been that long? The sights and sounds of that wrenching day remain indelible. Who will ever forget Greg Norman falling to his knees after almost holing his eagle chip on the 15th hole, his head thrown back in anguish, looking like Y.A. Tittle in that famous old photo? There was that awkward, muffled cheer when Nick Faldo sank his birdie putt on the final hole, the now three-time Masters champ looking almost embarrassed.

From July 2003 Bob Verdi piece:
Verplank did not lack for quiet confidence or poker-faced concentration. Late in his third round, he stood over a devilish 12-footer on No. 16 when the siren of a passing police car blared. In cold blood, he sank the birdie putt.

From July 2003 Rick Telander piece:
By the end, after hitting a 3-wood to within 30 feet of the pin on his last hole, the 562-yard No. 9, Woods nearly sank another eagle putt. Oh, did I forget? Tiger had an eagle way back on his second hole, just to set the tone.

From close to April 2006 Martin Fennelly column:
On the 18th hole, he sank his 15-footer and embraced Kyle. He stuffed the ball in his pocket. It'll go in his den in Abilene, near the ball he used to finish the Masters he won. Charles Coody fumbled for his epitaph.

From the close of a June 2004 Mike Vaccaro column:
Only, that Phil Mickelson is gone. He was dissolved on April 11, the day he sank a birdie putt, felt the ground rumble under his feet, heard a roar that seized Augusta National and spilled over its ivy-covered walls, into living rooms and grille rooms all across America.

Go ahead and shoot off e-mails to Posnanski, Deford, Plaschke, Shaw, Whicker, Shipnuck and Mell to let them know they could have done it better. Because, you know, these guys don't really concentrate on their leads and neither Fennelly nor Vaccaro can close a column without just throwing something together.

Stick it, Jagoff.

 

Dear LazyReporter,
I appreciate your concern for all of humanity and journalism
I can also sympathize that you woke up with that searing poker situated between the lateral and collateral gluteus.
But, the aforementioned definition of "set" was taken directly from Merriam-Webster.
Did you think I was citing Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary?