Jan 15, 2023 03:30
1 yr ago
47 viewers *
English term
BE AN EXERCISE = BE AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY?
English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
[Ex The X-Files] Skinner sceptic over Scully's suspicion of a link between both agent Mulder -- presumed dead -- and his father's killers:
SKINNER: "The investigation will..."
SCULLY: "The investigation will be an exercise! The men who killed Agent Mulder, the people who killed his father, they aren't meant to be found."
--> Though I personally haven't yet come across the pattern in speech, the inference does seem to figure. Now, am I right?
Thanks.
SKINNER: "The investigation will..."
SCULLY: "The investigation will be an exercise! The men who killed Agent Mulder, the people who killed his father, they aren't meant to be found."
--> Though I personally haven't yet come across the pattern in speech, the inference does seem to figure. Now, am I right?
Thanks.
Responses
Responses
-1
4 hrs
good practice for the team
I don't feel that we can extract the meaning "an exercise in futility" without this actually being stated directly.
Instead, it may be that this "exercise" of conducting the investigation will be good practice for the investigating team, even if it does not yield any actual results.
I am not 100 percent confident about this response, as there is not enough context to support what I am saying. For example, I do not know if there are any junior investigators on the team who might benefit from this type of "exercise" or practice.
Instead, it may be that this "exercise" of conducting the investigation will be good practice for the investigating team, even if it does not yield any actual results.
I am not 100 percent confident about this response, as there is not enough context to support what I am saying. For example, I do not know if there are any junior investigators on the team who might benefit from this type of "exercise" or practice.
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Daryo
: That's not what's said in the ST, you shifted the meaning too much. When done for real, any investigation shouldn't be treated like no more than a training exercice, but you make it sound as something acceptable. // There is enough context.
16 mins
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I just wanted to put it forth as a possibility in case there is anything that supports this in the wider context known to the poster.
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neutral |
Yvonne Gallagher
: A good explanation for "it's an exercise", a possibility, though unlikely I think. Asker has not given enough context to be sure this is intended here. You should have deleted other expression from header
4 hrs
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8 hrs
the investigation won't help at all
:)
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Yvonne Gallagher
: You have 2 expressions in header that are not synonymous
1 hr
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Yes, they are different - I hope he understand my (brief) answer
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9 hrs
English term (edited):
be an exercise in futility
pointless exercise with no real chance of successful outcome
I agree that this is probably the expression intended rather than just "an excercise" but need only one expression in header as the 2 are not synonymous
So yes, a waste of time carrying out any investifgation but they have to go through the motions and fiollow usual procedures anyway
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exercise in futil... https://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/6077/Exercise i...
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Note added at 9 hrs (2023-01-15 13:28:31 GMT)
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typos: "exercise", "investigation" and "follow". Sorry!
So yes, a waste of time carrying out any investifgation but they have to go through the motions and fiollow usual procedures anyway
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exercise in futil... https://www.collinsdictionary.com/submission/6077/Exercise i...
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Note added at 9 hrs (2023-01-15 13:28:31 GMT)
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typos: "exercise", "investigation" and "follow". Sorry!
Note from asker:
Perhaps you missed the question mark in the header. |
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Daryo
: you missed the key point of the ASKED question: it will deliberately be turned into a pointless investigation leading nowhere (a.k.a. "pretending to look for s.t. you don't want to find"), not because it's too difficult to find these murderers.
9 hrs
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How many times do you have to edit your negativity and unwarranted disagrees? Clueless responses! Just shows how limited your English is. This is the meaning of the expression
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agree |
Audrey Kidwell
: It's a pointless exercise or exercise in futility because the killers aren't meant to be found, yet the team has to investigate anyway.
2 days 2 hrs
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Many thanks:-) Yes, in this case it's apparently a sham investigation but they still have to be seen to follow usual procedures.
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18 hrs
The investigation is for showing the public that they are doing their job.
Scully knows that the killers may never be found. The investigation is for showing the public that they are doing their job.
4 hrs
the investigation will be done without any intention of getting any substantial result.
just to show that the matter wasn't ignored.
Yes, the end result is "futility" (the investigation will be just wasted time) but the meaning is more like:
The investigation will be an exercise!
=
The investigation will be an exercise in keeping up the pretence of doing an investigation!
i.e. if you know the expression "show trial" you could call it a "show investigation"
You could see it as:
"The investigation will be no more than an exercise in following the procedures, but without any intention of making a real effort to achieve any result!
Also know as "going through the motions"
or
The investigation will be an exercise!
=
The investigation will be an empty gesture!
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Note added at 5 hrs (2023-01-15 09:22:57 GMT)
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"The men who killed Agent Mulder, the people who killed his father, they aren't meant to be found."
is a pretty strong clue that those leading the investigation are not going to make any real effort to find people that are "not meant to be found" (= protected by people far above those leading the investigation).
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Note added at 6 hrs (2023-01-15 09:37:05 GMT)
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final version:
'The investigation will be an exercise!'
=
it will be a 'pretend' investigation = they will be looking for s.t. they don't want to find
Nothing to do with any kind of literal "training exercice".
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Note added at 2 days 1 hr (2023-01-17 04:52:53 GMT)
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yet another version:
'The investigation will be [no more than] an exercise in box ticking'
Yes, the end result is "futility" (the investigation will be just wasted time) but the meaning is more like:
The investigation will be an exercise!
=
The investigation will be an exercise in keeping up the pretence of doing an investigation!
i.e. if you know the expression "show trial" you could call it a "show investigation"
You could see it as:
"The investigation will be no more than an exercise in following the procedures, but without any intention of making a real effort to achieve any result!
Also know as "going through the motions"
or
The investigation will be an exercise!
=
The investigation will be an empty gesture!
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2023-01-15 09:22:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"The men who killed Agent Mulder, the people who killed his father, they aren't meant to be found."
is a pretty strong clue that those leading the investigation are not going to make any real effort to find people that are "not meant to be found" (= protected by people far above those leading the investigation).
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Note added at 6 hrs (2023-01-15 09:37:05 GMT)
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final version:
'The investigation will be an exercise!'
=
it will be a 'pretend' investigation = they will be looking for s.t. they don't want to find
Nothing to do with any kind of literal "training exercice".
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Note added at 2 days 1 hr (2023-01-17 04:52:53 GMT)
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yet another version:
'The investigation will be [no more than] an exercise in box ticking'
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
FPC
: 'Futile' is different from being mock. For instance, an exercise in the military obviously is not intended to wage real war or combat, but it's far from 'futile'. Quite useful, indeed.
1 hr
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true, but not relevant for this ST // Asker is right that the end result will be 'wasted time', but 'The investigation will be an exercise!' means it will be a 'pretend' investigation = they will be looking for s.t. they don't want to find.
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disagree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: Overtranslation. Not necessarily a "pretend exercise". Where did you get "st they don't want to find"? Plus you should only have 1 expression in header
5 hrs
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"st they don't want to find" is **an explanation** // Either you didn't read: 1- the context given 2- my whole answer or you have no idea about how typical bureaucrat's mind works // clue: SKINNER and SCULLY are federal agents = bureaucrats.
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agree |
Anastasia Kalantzi
: Missed not even one single episode. https://prezi.com/waiv-r1vaiqn/the-psychology-of-the-x-files...
1 day 3 hrs
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After about 10-15 episodes, I lost interest // Thanks!
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Discussion
So the first thing I did was answer that question instead of extrapolating stuff from the X-files (which I never liked much BTW) and agree with you what was inferred.
Of course I saw the question mark, that shouldn't be there (nor the =mark) in the first place. And there should be only ONE term in the header. And NO unnecessary capitalisation. So your question breaks a lot of rules and is really quite unclear as asked. It needed more context too to determine if 2nd expression was inferred
With further context it's clear the expression "an exercise iin futility" is inferred, so why didn't Scully say that? Well, some things are better left unsaid, especially when they must be seen to follow procedures. Even if it is a sham investigation, they can't openly admit that or announce it in advance.
It is overtranslation to extrapolate more than the usual meaning of the expression as given here.
If a bureaucracy investigating its own dirty linen is not a case of "pretending to look for s.t. you don't want to find" I don't know what else could be. SKINNER and SCULLY being part of it, they will be well aware of that fact of life.