Are there any adjectives that work like “long†and “shortâ€, where in the lingo of Wall Streeters, they sound like transitive verb, requiring a direct object? For instance,
I am short IBM.
Buffett is long Bank of America.
Or is this just unique short-hand for where maybe an "on" or "with" is formally inserted in between ?
Interesting. "Short" is definitely a transitive verb as well as an adjective; when you're shorting Boeing, you're taking a particular action, not just being in a particular position. I don't see that with "long", though; Buffet can be long BoA, but he didn't get to that position by longing BoA...did he? If so, I've never heard that usage.
Other adjectives that have become verbs: Well, you can black someone's eye, and Jesus spoke of whited sepulchers so apparently to white something is to whitewash it, in 1610 English at least. There's the greening of America, which may not be quite the same thing. They used to speak of admirals being yellowed, which meant promoted to that rank without being given command of any squadron; that was back during the Napoleonic wars. You can brown food, I believe, when you cook it lightly, and I believe Brits sometimes say someone has been browned as a shortcut for being done brown. To a chemist, to blue something means simply to dye it blue; still, it's an adjective serving as a transitive verb. And we speak of computer controls—checkboxes and radio buttons, for example—being grayed out.
When you blind someone, you make her blind.
We can up the intensity of light or sound; does that count? I've never heard of downing it afterward, though.
I was going to say that "open" doesn't count, but the Online Etymology Dictionary says the adjective is probably older than the verb and that the verb is derived from the adjective, so it probably does count after all.
It's funny, though; I had to strain to come up with those, and although there are no doubt more that others will add, apparently adjective-to-verb happens less often than noun-to-verb, at least in English.
Oh, and although you can't cold or hot something you can warm or cool it.
The way long/short are used though, notice the verb "to be" in front of them, they are used as adjective, not verb at all.
I guess language evolves to meet needs, and that can mean exceptions to rules of grammar.
RobertB said:
The way long/short are used though, notice the verb "to be" in front of them, they are used as adjective, not verb at all.
I guess language evolves to meet needs, and that can mean exceptions to rules of grammar.
An investor calls a broker and orders, "Short IBM." There is no form of the verb, "to be". "IBM" is the object, so "Short" must be the verb.
Emmett
No, you have to listen to what they say all the time on TV- they say full sentences like 'I am short IBM.'
That is why I brought up this point, an unusual usage of adjective.