Talk:pull out
Add topicLatest comment: 4 years ago by Equinox in topic pull the rug out from under
I tend to think of this as a military term for "remove one's forces from" but not in a "retreat" sense of the word. Retreat to me connotates a defeat in some way. A "withdrawal" (which is more what "pull out" is) is more like: we've decided we're finished here (even if we're not really finished here). And it is a close call for an idiom. --Stranger 15:32, 8 September 2005 (UTC)
- Idiom-wise, this one is borderline, but it's at least idiom enough to merit the mark, I think. I took a quick survey (of one roommate) and when asked, without context, to use the words "pull out" in a sentence, he produced a military example. That is more than the sum of its parts, I'd say.
- Also, I'd agree that it's not necessarily a retreat. A retreat is forced by the enemy, whereas a withdrawal is more voluntary. I'll try to make the main article reflect that distinction, now.--Dvortygirl 01:14, 17 October 2005 (UTC)
If he doesn't pull out of his slump, his job may be in jeopardy
[edit]If he doesn't pull out of his slump, his job may be in jeopardy. Microsoft® Encarta® 2009
How should the example be parsed? --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:30, 14 March 2020 (UTC)
What meaning is used in pull the rug out from under? --Backinstadiums (talk) 18:19, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
- #1 of course, is that not obvious? Equinox ◑ 18:20, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
- @Equinox: don't think so. The rug is not INSIDE anything else to be pulled out as in #1 --Backinstadiums (talk) 01:25, 9 April 2020 (UTC)
- Seriously? Then you need to question the meaning of out, not pull out. Equinox ◑ 01:38, 9 April 2020 (UTC)