4 ms·

In other words: please go home and I'll call you. 'Head on home' is a real expression. Similar ones are 'head over there', 'head to ...', all of which just mea

In other words: please go home and I'll call you. 'Head on home' is a real expression. Similar ones are 'head over there', 'head to ...', all of which just mean 'go to'.

toolslive 5y ago
is that a pars pro toto?
- shoemakersteve 5y ago
  no that's latin
- FabHK 5y ago
  No. It's not "take your head home", with your head (a noun) being the part standing in for the whole, namely you. Rather, "to head" is a verb that means (among other things) "to move in a specific direction". For example, an aircraft could be heading north.
  - hnbad 5y ago
    Isn't "take your head home" pars pro toto given that it means "take yourself home" with the head (pars) standing in for (pro) the person (toto)?
    - FabHK 5y ago
      Yes, "take your head home" would be pars pro toto, but it is not something people usually say (in particularly, that's not what GP (or GGP or whatever) said).
- hnbad 5y ago
  No, "head" is a verb in this case. Related to "heading" (i.e. what direction a vehicle is pointed at while moving), I think, rather than the body part. I can't find the etymology beyond words meaning the body part or "primary"/"main". There's no direct equivalent in German for example despite the shared etymology for the other meanings. I would guess that it is related to the body part in a figurative sense in the same was as "face" (i.e. turn your body in a specific direction) though I have no idea how "put your head there" would come to me "go there". I wonder if this was before or after "heading" became a thing for ships (which generally move in the direction they "face", so the "heading", i.e. how the "nose" is aligned, could go on to become a verb). EDIT: I'm not sure it's pars pro toto because I'm not sure it directly refers to the "head" in the sense of the body part rather than the "heading" which is not directly related to the actual body part when talking about vehicles like ships.
blablabla123 5y ago
I mean more the "Why don't you ..." It's quite obvious that it's rethorical but it seems so nonsensical to put this into a question while camouflaging what is really going on.
- adrianmonk 5y ago
  I'd say the purpose is more or less to show respect. By phrasing it as an idea or a suggestion, you give them the chance to (appear to) cooperate willingly. Both people presumably do know what's really happening, and this is exactly why it's seen as unnecessary (and inconsiderate) to actually say it. There's no reason to call extra attention to something unpleasant.
- dentemple 5y ago
  The "camouflage" here indicates an increase in the speaker's politeness level. Some languages use explicit terms or forms of address to do this; English, however, utilizes indirect phrasing to achieve this effect.
- HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
  Don't feel bad :-) My 11 year-old son (a native English speaker) said the same thing to me just yesterday. "Hey, bud. Why don't you pick up those two plastic containers and follow me." "OK, but dad, it really confuses me when you say that. Can't you just say 'please pick up those containers'? It sounds like you're giving me an option but you're really not." Until he said that, I had never given it a thought. But he takes things very literally, so I can see how it's confusing even though he knows what I mean.
  - kibbleble 5y ago
    Did your son really say "can't you just say?" :P I think English littered with these suggestive polite negation statements.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
      LOL. I didn't even notice that :-)

In other words: please go home and I'll call you. 'Head on home' is a real expression. Similar ones are 'head over there', 'head to ...', all of which just mean 'go to'.

toolslive 5y ago

is that a pars pro toto?

shoemakersteve 5y ago
no that's latin
FabHK 5y ago
No. It's not "take your head home", with your head (a noun) being the part standing in for the whole, namely you. Rather, "to head" is a verb that means (among other things) "to move in a specific direction". For example, an aircraft could be heading north.
- hnbad 5y ago
  Isn't "take your head home" pars pro toto given that it means "take yourself home" with the head (pars) standing in for (pro) the person (toto)?
  - FabHK 5y ago
    Yes, "take your head home" would be pars pro toto, but it is not something people usually say (in particularly, that's not what GP (or GGP or whatever) said).
hnbad 5y ago
No, "head" is a verb in this case. Related to "heading" (i.e. what direction a vehicle is pointed at while moving), I think, rather than the body part. I can't find the etymology beyond words meaning the body part or "primary"/"main". There's no direct equivalent in German for example despite the shared etymology for the other meanings. I would guess that it is related to the body part in a figurative sense in the same was as "face" (i.e. turn your body in a specific direction) though I have no idea how "put your head there" would come to me "go there". I wonder if this was before or after "heading" became a thing for ships (which generally move in the direction they "face", so the "heading", i.e. how the "nose" is aligned, could go on to become a verb). EDIT: I'm not sure it's pars pro toto because I'm not sure it directly refers to the "head" in the sense of the body part rather than the "heading" which is not directly related to the actual body part when talking about vehicles like ships.

blablabla123 5y ago

I mean more the "Why don't you ..." It's quite obvious that it's rethorical but it seems so nonsensical to put this into a question while camouflaging what is really going on.

adrianmonk 5y ago
I'd say the purpose is more or less to show respect. By phrasing it as an idea or a suggestion, you give them the chance to (appear to) cooperate willingly. Both people presumably do know what's really happening, and this is exactly why it's seen as unnecessary (and inconsiderate) to actually say it. There's no reason to call extra attention to something unpleasant.
dentemple 5y ago
The "camouflage" here indicates an increase in the speaker's politeness level. Some languages use explicit terms or forms of address to do this; English, however, utilizes indirect phrasing to achieve this effect.
HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
Don't feel bad :-) My 11 year-old son (a native English speaker) said the same thing to me just yesterday. "Hey, bud. Why don't you pick up those two plastic containers and follow me." "OK, but dad, it really confuses me when you say that. Can't you just say 'please pick up those containers'? It sounds like you're giving me an option but you're really not." Until he said that, I had never given it a thought. But he takes things very literally, so I can see how it's confusing even though he knows what I mean.
- kibbleble 5y ago
  Did your son really say "can't you just say?" :P I think English littered with these suggestive polite negation statements.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
    LOL. I didn't even notice that :-)