Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2021 December 24

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December 24

playing nice in the sandbox

In No Time to Die, Felix asks James Bond a favor:

• James Bond: You didn't get the memo? I'm retired.
• Felix: I wouldn't ask if you were still in Her Majesty's Service.
• James Bond: And what does that mean?
• Felix: Our elected leaders aren't playing nice in the sandbox.

What does "playing nice in the sandbox" mean? Rizosome (talk) 00:10, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

Felix is likening the elected leaders (the US President, the UK Prime Minister, and their colleages) are like to children playing in a sand pit . . .

(perhaps suggesting that Felix thinks the real work of running the World – or at least keeping it relatively peaceful and non-dangerous – is done by unelected agents like himself and James, while the public actions of the leaders are just childish distractions)

. . . and that these leaders have started to do things that could threaten World peace, stability or safety. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.193.131.122 (talk) 01:01, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

A sandbox is a kids' thing to play in. Hence the term "sandbox" for software development. --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 04:22, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

One would expect an adverb here, play nicely, but a few verbs, including play, can be used idiomatically with an adjective or noun. Wiktionary defines play nice as "to behave oneself in interaction with others, in particular refraining from instigating trouble, teasing or being cruel". A rather special idiom is play possum, to remain quiet and still to escape attention just like opossums do. Another example is play the fool, to behave in a silly manner. Wiktionary lists the following sense at the verb play: "to behave in a particular way", with examples play the rational (word play on play the fool ?), play hard to get, play coy and play dumb.  --Lambiam 14:18, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

Everybody plays the fool. There's no exception to the rule. --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:59, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

As noted in the linked article above, it's called called a "sandpit" in British English, even if it happens to be contained in a box. One would have expected 007 to know better. Alansplodge (talk) 17:06, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

Apologies, it seems Felix Leiter is an American, so all's right with the world. Alansplodge (talk) 17:11, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

I got answer from this line: ...and that these leaders have started to do things that could threaten World peace, stability or safety. Rizosome (talk) 01:29, 25 December 2021 (UTC)

Resolved