I am in such awe of all our posters here who post in English when it is not their native tongue:agree:
Do not apologize for using the term "exploiting the system", it is a perfect term, it is not negative, and this native English speaker would not take it as such. I become frustrated when the system rewards moves more than I feel they should be rewarded, but every single coach worth their salt would exploit the system as regards their skaters.
And it has nothing to do with positive or comparative, again, at least in English. So I'm afraid I do not follow
Not entirely, that puts it into the whole new light
I've wrongly applied the first english dictionary definition of the word (as a synonym to "prey upon"):
"to take advantage of (a person, situation, etc), esp unethically or unjustly for one's own ends"
While, of course, your respect to Eteri Tutberidze should have guided me instantly to the second one:
"to make the best use"
Silly me
I am well aware that you're using sarcasm again. However, let it be said that I chose the wording of "not entirely" on purpose. I explained it pretty thoroughly, that while I do not enjoy every aspect of how she is exploiting the system, I respect that she's clever enough to do so and would expect that of a coach who wants their athlete to win. That's where the "not entirely" came from. And also because I knew that, had I not added the word, someone would have made a pretty similar comment along the lines of "BUT you said something bad about Tutberidze before, how dare you make it seem as if you respected her when you clearly dislike her?!" This thread is strangely predictable when it comes to certain things.
You see, I'm not going to explain myself further. I feel I have made a long enough post already and if you deliberately choose to interpret it sarcastically as me not respecting Tutberidze and her skaters only because I've made some remarks about her choreography and the scoring of the judges before, so be it. For me, however, not everything revolves around the coaching staff of my favourite skaters so I do not personally see the use in nitpicking over one small expression in a post that was originally meant to be about something (or someone - in this case, Liza and her FS) else entirely. But well. We all choose what we want to see and you're free to do that as well, obviously.
Fluture has used the word. It's called sarcasm :agree2:
Not entirely, that puts it into the whole new light
I've wrongly applied the first english dictionary definition of the word (as a synonym to "prey upon"):
"to take advantage of (a person, situation, etc), esp unethically or unjustly for one's own ends"
While, of course, your respect to Eteri Tutberidze should have guided me instantly to the second one:
"to make the best use"
Silly me
You are right that “work the system” would be even more neutral than exploit, if they were compared. As I said to Fluture, I am in awe of our non native English speakers on the forum. :thumbsup: “Gaming the system” would be the only one I would regard as truly negative, as that would involve possibly subverting the system, not just wringing every point you can out of a program.
Personally, I choose not to read sarcasm into posts. Life’s too short to play word games. that’s why I just ask.
)
Or perhaps "make most out of".
Then I suggest the phrase "utilize the system" (as an euphemism for "squeeze every last drop from it".
Awesome
I am in such awe of all our posters here who post in English when it is not their native tongue:agree:
Do not apologize for using the term "exploiting the system", it is a perfect term, it is not negative, and this native English speaker would not take it as such. I become frustrated when the system rewards moves more than I feel they should be rewarded, but every single coach worth their salt would exploit the system as regards their skaters.
No because nobody who speaks English would ever say utilizing the system. It's just not what you write
