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75 old year man vs 75 old years man
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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

become a snowball

English answer:

verb: to snowball; noun: the snowball effect

Added to glossary by NancyLynn
Nov 21, 2012 20:35
11 yrs ago
English term

become snowball

Non-PRO English Art/Literary Music
it kind of became a snowball, wherein a story was being created for me.
Responses
3 +1 verb: to snowball; noun: the snowball effect
3 -1 snowballed
Change log

Nov 22, 2012 00:19: Katalin Horváth McClure changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Nov 27, 2012 13:41: NancyLynn Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): PoveyTrans (X), Tony M, Katalin Horváth McClure

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Discussion

Tony M Nov 26, 2012:
Great, thanks! OK, that makes it easier to follow now, if it is someone talking; the sue of the rather formal 'wherein' is still slightly surprising, as BDF says, but I think the person was probably 'thinking on his feet' and having talked himself into a corner, was trying to find a way out of it!

In any event, all the rest makes perfect sense; as we now know for sure this is a transcription, it is of course also conceivable that the transcriber made a mistake — he might just have said the much more ordinary 'where', which the well-meaning transcriber could have corrected for grammar to 'wherein', sadly ignoring the register in the process. Don't laugh — it happens!
csazsu (asker) Nov 26, 2012:
Tony , this is a transcription from a TV interview.

"It started with the music for me. I had to go back. I mean, we all know the XY hits, but I really just wanted to sit and remember why I, as a fan, loved X and what his lyrics meant to me," he said. "I really started there, and ... it kind of became a snowball, wherein a story was being created for me.
Tony M Nov 26, 2012:
@ BDF Sory, can't quite agree there; 'wherein' is technically correct (it is rolled up 'in' the snowball); 'whence' wouldn't work, arguably perhaps 'whereby' might be OK. As for the register, on that point, I do agree; but then, we don't know anything about the context, period, rest of the writer's style; although this might not be common usage in a modern context, it might just be the style of that particular writer. So while this might be intriguingly quirky, I don't think we can really say it is 'wrong', or even 'poorly written'.
B D Finch Nov 26, 2012:
@Tony There is something wrong with the English. The use of "wherein" (a word only used in formal registers),doesn't fit an informal register and is also not correct - in an archaic, formal register, one would use "whence", not "wherein" here. The sentence quoted is othewise OK, other than not starting with a capital letter. The indefinite article is only omitted in the heading, not in the quote, so that can be put down to a typo.
Tony M Nov 25, 2012:
@ John I don't really see why you say it is poorly written? It sounds like someone writing fairly informally, as they talk, but there is nothing wrong with the EN per se.
csazsu (asker) Nov 25, 2012:
Thank you! :) I think, understand it.
Tony M Nov 25, 2012:
Your first suggestion 'became a snowball' is more like the verb 'snowballed', yes... it just got bigger and bigger and picked up momentum as it went along.
csazsu (asker) Nov 25, 2012:
:) Sorry again! I try to understand your answers, the meaning became snowball . It is the same word as snowballed, in this sentence an idea growing, like a snowball. Right? Or bethink oneself of sg , a rush thought?
John Alphonse (X) Nov 24, 2012:
It's poorly written in English, csazsu, which can be very difficult to try to translate!
csazsu (asker) Nov 24, 2012:
Thank you for your answers. I think it is an expression , and i think didn't understand it exactly. A showdirector talking about , how he created a story of show. An exposition could help me in english or a translating in hungarian . Sorry for my pur english.
Tony M Nov 21, 2012:
Welcome Hello csazsu, and welcome to KudoZ.

It's not quite clear what your question actually is; are you asking for an explanation in EN, or did you perhaps want help translating this into some other language? If so, please tell us, and we can edit the language pair for you.

Responses

+1
21 mins
Selected

verb: to snowball; noun: the snowball effect

I think this is what you're looking for:

like a snowball that, as it rolls downhill, collects more snow and grows in size and volume, a story can grow in detail and drama with each retelling.
Peer comment(s):
agree Tony M : Yes, gets bigger as it goes along.
1 day 10 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you. "
-1
20 mins

snowballed

Using "snowball" as a verb (to snowball) means to have gained momentum, to have progressed through a series of incidences.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days21 hrs (2012-11-24 18:01:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This seems to have nothing to do with the definition of snowball but by request let's look at just a few of the "real world" instances of the use of "incidences" that go beyond the traditional, standard dictionary or guidelines of usage. Perhaps most often used in technical writing or to illustrate the negative, but not necessarily, it illustrates the fluidity of language and limitations of understanding that may result from the strict adherence of principles in an ever-changing world. However, I am yet to understand the insistence upon harping on the point which doesn't really seem to be constructive of relevance to the question proposed initially and seems sadly to be for other purposes. Can this insistence upon irrelevant critical analysis be explained?

http://www.amazon.com/Incidences-Daniil-Kharms/dp/185242480X

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/incidences

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20828914

http://www.pwdca.org/addisons-incidences

I don't think the issue at hand has enlarged in any scope but it certainly has "snowballed"... :)
Peer comment(s):
disagree B D Finch : No, it doesn't mean "to have gained momentum". It means to have got bigger. Also, what does "progressed through a series of incidences" mean?//Snowballs rolling down a snowy hill don't pick up speed, they get bigger and eventually stop.
12 hrs
Disagree with your one-dimensional criticism. It may increase in size but not necessarily. An idea can snowball without changing size; i.e., it may progress or digress. Your comment on my answer reading strangely is uncalled for & irrelevant to the point.
Something went wrong...
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