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0th

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  • 30-06-2004 7:19am
    #1
    Gordon
    Registered Users Posts: 35,524 ✭✭✭✭


    5th
    4th
    3rd
    2nd
    1st
    0... 0th... 0nd... 0rd...

    ?

    What would be the word for coming 0 place in a situation?

    I'll give you an example... (heh)

    You are stranded on a desert island with Kylie Minogue, Brad Pitt and Don Jonson for eternity. You say to Kylie Minogue: "So Kylie, now that it's just us here, would you say that I'm your third choice or second choice?"

    She retorts: "Neither Gordon, you will still be my 'nilth' option."

    Would the word I am looking for be nilth? Or would it be zeroth, or nothingth or zerond?

    Help me please, I am in Dire straits.


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    #2
    Hagar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,793 ✭✭✭✭Hagar


    Last.


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    #3
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Originally posted by Gordon
    5th
    4th
    3rd
    2nd
    1st
    0... 0th... 0nd... 0rd...

    ?

    What would be the word for coming 0 place in a situation?

    I'll give you an example... (heh)

    You are stranded on a desert island with Kylie Minogue, Brad Pitt and Don Jonson for eternity. You say to Kylie Minogue: "So Kylie, now that it's just us here, would you say that I'm your third choice or second choice?"

    She retorts: "Neither Gordon, you will still be my 'nilth' option."

    Would the word I am looking for be nilth? Or would it be zeroth, or nothingth or zerond?

    Help me please, I am in Dire straits.

    Zero is not a value when you're dealing in quantifiable terms. Just like you can't have a piece of string that's 0cm long (this means that in fact you don't have a piece of string, rendering your attempt to quantify how long is the piece of string you don't have, impossible).

    The closest possible value in the string in example is - "I have no string". You don't have 0cm of string, that would imply that you have something tangible and quantifiable.
    So for 0th place, the best you can come up with is "Has no position" or "Does not place", like people who don't finish a race. 0th place cannot exist, because that would imply that you both do and do not qualify at the same time.

    I could also be pedantic and point out that the lower the value of your placing, the better you did (1 > 2 > 3), but I won't :p

    By the very same token, we don't say "minus first", "minus second", "minus third" - negative numbers cannot be used in quantifiable terms either.


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    #4
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,754 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Retired, I belive is the term they use in F1

    BTW: 0 is ahead of 1 do "nilth" would have precidence over first , last is always the highest possible number.

    on the desert island with three other people Kylie could refer to someone as her fourth choice and that would not be good. (Hmm in which case nilth would in this instance refer to oneself)


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    #5
    Exit
    Registered Users Posts: 2,267 ✭✭✭Exit


    Originally posted by Gordon
    You are stranded on a desert island with Kylie Minogue, Brad Pitt and Don Jonson for eternity. You say to Kylie Minogue: "So Kylie, now that it's just us here, would you say that I'm your third choice or second choice?"

    I think the correct term she would use is "**** off"




    Yes, she would say asterick asterick asterick asterick off.


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