Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2022 January 5

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

January 5

What does "distinction" refer to?

Sentence from here: Many of them, obviously, held the title for several years, Bannout won it once, a distinction shared with Chris Dickerson (1982), Dexter Jackson (2008), Shawn Rhoden (2018), and Brandon Curry (2019). 

Dexter Jackson held more than once. What does "distinction" refer to? Rizosome (talk) 03:43, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

It means that whoever wrote it got their facts wrong, or that it's out of date. Or not. When did he win it besides 2008? --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:52, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

The "distinction" is to have won this thing once and only once. Bannout and those other people are the five listed under item 7 in Mr._Olympia#Number_of_overall_wins. --Wrongfilter (talk) 06:29, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Dexter Jackson had twenty Mr. Olympia appearances, but only won the title in 2008. He came out second in 2015. So the text is correct. In general, the word "distinction" can refer to any recognition of an exceptional achievement. Example (from the article Camilo Villegas): "His success in Colombian golf throughout the 1990s earned him the distinction of "Player of the Decade" issued by the Colombian Golf Federation."  --Lambiam 09:31, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

"Distinction" usually means a special achievement. If others have won it multiple times, winning it just once doesn't seem like much of a "distinction". --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 11:01, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Wiktionary:distinction (definition 4): Specifically, a feature that causes someone or something to stand out as being better; a mark of honour, rank, eminence or excellence; being distinguished. [example] She had the distinction of meeting the Queen. Alansplodge (talk) 11:39, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Given that, the wording in the article should be different than it is. --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:04, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Except that here the word is obviously being used ironically.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:23, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

That whole sentence seems out of place. The article is about him, not the title. Recommend removing. --Khajidha (talk) 16:08, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

That phraseology was added in 2007,[1] by an editor who hasn't been here since 2011. Probably safe to change it now. --←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:43, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

I got the answer after seeing this edit. Rizosome (talk) 03:09, 6 January 2022 (UTC)

Resolved

Lump

Where did the phrase "like it or lump it" originate? Thanks. 86.189.224.119 (talk) 16:23, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

According to this source the first recorded use of this phrase was by John Neal, the US writer, in his 1833 novel, The Down-Easters, while this source explores the particular meaning of "lump" used in the expression. Mikenorton (talk) 16:41, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

The latter article quotes an earlier "first recorded" from The Monthly Mirror in London, 1807; Well, ma'am, if you don't like it, you may lump it, which can be found here. It's part of a script for a comedy sketch about puns and is addressed to a woman complaining about the lack of sugar (lumps) in her tea. Humour has obviously moved on since then. It must have been a reasonably well known expression at that time for the readers to understand the joke. Alansplodge (talk) 18:30, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Moved on? Au contraire! I found "Every Man His Own Punster" a veritable rich seam of humour. Nothing to do with the famous Marx Brothers, then? Martinevans123 (talk) 18:53, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Slightly reminiscent of a very substandard Two Ronnies sketch. Alansplodge (talk) 19:04, 6 January 2022 (UTC)

One lump or two, vicar? Martinevans123 (talk) 18:45, 7 January 2022 (UTC)

So the word was around for a while before it was used that way. Are there examples of it being used transitively before the 1807 tea pun? After all one could say "like it or lament it" but not "like it or sulk it." Temerarius (talk) 18:38, 7 January 2022 (UTC)