Reply to: What is a historic walk?

[Gumbo Robot]

Bear with me please.

The phrase "a historic walk" - how do you interpret it? I see two possible interpretations, although to me the "true" meaning is clear. Does it mean

(a) A walk that was in of itself historic; a walk that made history (because of its significance). For example, the first walk across the Alps. The first walk from John O'Groats to Land's End.

(b) A walk to or through somewhere historic. For example, a walk through the Forum in Rome, a walk through First World War battlefields.

Interested to hear your thoughts, thanks!

The term could also be interpreted as a superlative (c/f Winner's Dinners - "The rum babas were historic") so a reference to a "historic walk" could be an allusion to a stroll that was out of this world.

[vetran]

OMPQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2ViNJFZC8

[Project Monkey]

Bear with me please.

The phrase "a historic walk" - how do you interpret it? I see two possible interpretations, although to me the "true" meaning is clear. Does it mean

(a) A walk that was in of itself historic; a walk that made history (because of its significance). For example, the first walk across the Alps. The first walk from John O'Groats to Land's End.

(b) A walk to or through somewhere historic. For example, a walk through the Forum in Rome, a walk through First World War battlefields.

Interested to hear your thoughts, thanks!

The premise of the question is wrong (perhaps deliberately to catch out pedants like me).

Had option (b) been: "A walk to or through somewhere historical...", then clearly (a) would be the only correct meaning.

[mudskipper]

I think 3) was an historic walk

I thought that too - an historic walk, but when I googled it, it suggested that "a" is correct if the H is pronounced.

[FatLazyContractor]

That seems to have settled the meaning of "historic walk".

So now what is a British POW camp? Is it a camp in Britain for foreign POWs, or a camp overseas for British POWs?

It is called something else in Yorkshire -> Scunthorpe.

[OwlHoot]

That seems to have settled the meaning of "historic walk".

So now what is a British POW camp? Is it a camp in Britain for foreign POWs, or a camp overseas for British POWs?

[Platypus]

Historic Walks | The Official Globe Trekker WebsiteThe Official Globe Trekker Website

Good find. I recant.

You read that tulipe!

Erm, ok.

[suityou01]

Thanks for your thoughts. Like so much in English there are shades and nuances and I have it solved now.

Changing "walk" to "event" wasn't too helpful, sorry Suity, but I do appreciate the thought. And you misspelled "semantic"

It's my opinion that a walk can be historic if the walk I will do will go down in history, or if the walk has already gone down in history and I'm repeating it. I'm 50/50 with MS that a walk can also be historic if there is lots of historical stuff along the way.

Ta muchly!

You read that tulipe!

Erm, ok.

[mudskipper]

Historic Walks | The Official Globe Trekker WebsiteThe Official Globe Trekker Website

[Platypus]

Thanks for your thoughts. Like so much in English there are shades and nuances and I have it solved now.

Changing "walk" to "event" wasn't too helpful, sorry Suity, but I do appreciate the thought. And you misspelled "semantic"

It's my opinion that a walk can be historic if the walk I will do will go down in history, or if the walk has already gone down in history and I'm repeating it. I'm 50/50 with MS that a walk can also be historic if there is lots of historical stuff along the way.

Ta muchly!

[FatLazyContractor]

I did a historic walk of 8 miles in Malham today

Feck fat !

[darmstadt]

I don't think a walk to the shops could be described as historic in that sense, as the purpose of the walk was to get booze and fags, not historical culture.

It would be historic if I came back without booze and fags

[Zippy]

I think 3) was an historic walk

[VectraMan]

In most cases you wouldn't know that something you were doing was historic; it would only be years later that it would become historic. So you can't say "I'm going for a historic walk", unless perhaps you were Neil Armstrong about to step out on the moon.

[suityou01]

It's all about symantics

So we have a sentence :

I went on an historic walk.

So we have the subject, me, doing something and then the adjective, "historic".

Or rather, let's back it off a bit and forget about the walk and just say "event". This should allow us to focus on the adjective a little more.

I saw an historic event.
I was involved in an historic event.
It was an historic event.

All mean the same thing, and should give you the answer to which you seek.

HTH