Re: Tough
ask
Posted by bob on October 31, 2002
In Reply to: Re: Tough ask posted by Word Camel on October
31, 2002
: : :
: : : Can some body tell me, whether it is
correct to say that some thing was tough ask meaning was difficult to perform?
:
: Yes. "That job was tough to do." "They gave him a tough job."
:
: Tough
is a perfectly acceptable adjective but "tough ask" isn't correct. "Tough ask"
uses the word "ask", a verb as a noun. Adjectives modify nouns. A better choice
would be "tough question", or "tough assignment".
: Now it's entirely possible
that someone out there is using "tough ask" but it isn't correct, nor is it particularly
clever or charming as some deliberate grammatical mistakes can be. If I heard
someone using this expression I'd probably draw the conclusion that he had very
poor language skills or that it was some obnoxious affectation.
Two other thoughts:
you may have heard "tough task," a good description of something difficult to
perform; or you may have heard a professional fundraiser speaking. In the jargon
of fundraisers, an "ask" is a noun that refers to a specific need within a larger
camparign, tailored to a particular audience. Thus, in a campaign to build a large
hospital, the fundraising strategists might separate out the maternity wing as
a separate "ask" because a charitable foundation is seen as a likely donor (i.e.,
the founder would want her name on that wing, and her foundation gives grants
in the $7 million range) making them a good target to that ask. Like most trade
jargon, it ain't good English, but it's a shared shorthand.
- Re:
Tough ask ESC 10/31/02 (6)
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