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Hammer

Posted by R. Berg on May 16, 2004

In Reply to: Hammer something into someone posted by ESC on May 16, 2004

: : : Doe the phrase *Hammer something into someone* mean to force someone to to remember something by repeating it , and therefore equivalent of *cramming*?

: : : thanks
: : Yes and no. It does mean to repeat something forcefully and frequently. "Cramming" doesn't contain that element of repeating, repeating, repeating...

: Isn't "hammering" something in akin to learning by rote?

: Cramming is last-minute desperate learning as practiced by college students the night before a test.

To hammer something into someone can mean to repeat the point forcefully with the goal of having the person take it seriously (e.g., obey a rule of behavior), not necessarily the goal of simply having the person remember it. Cramming is confined to learning facts, and students do it themselves. One doesn't cram somebody else.

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