Difference between revisions of "Exercise - operation"
PeterWilson (Talk | contribs) |
|||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | Those with military experience can be irritated by a modern tendency to misuse these words. To the armed forces, an '''exercise''' is a practice, a piece of training. It is often designed to resemble 'the real thing' (war); but a similar action carried out against a real enemy, with soldiers shooting back, is called an '''operation'''. | + | Those with military experience can be irritated by a modern tendency to misuse these words. To the armed forces, an '''exercise''' is a practice, a piece of training. It is often designed to resemble 'the real thing' (war); but a similar action carried out against a real enemy, with soldiers shooting back, is called an '''operation'''. The '''exercise''' is what is sometimes called in civilian life a 'dummy run', or a 'trial run'. |
So it is a misuse to name the new way of carrying out business, or a new campaign to sell a new product, or the adoption of a new system in the office etc, an <strike>'''exercise</strike>'''. It is a real action. People may get hurt. Therefore it should be called an '''operation'''. | So it is a misuse to name the new way of carrying out business, or a new campaign to sell a new product, or the adoption of a new system in the office etc, an <strike>'''exercise</strike>'''. It is a real action. People may get hurt. Therefore it should be called an '''operation'''. | ||
| − | If it were an | + | If it were an ''exercise'', it would be merely a practice, with blank ammunition. '''Operation '''Overlord (the code-name for D-Day in 1944) was [[precede]]d by many '''exercises''', or practices. |
| + | |||
| + | [[category:Usage errors]] | ||
| + | [[category:disambig]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:21, 14 September 2007
Those with military experience can be irritated by a modern tendency to misuse these words. To the armed forces, an exercise is a practice, a piece of training. It is often designed to resemble 'the real thing' (war); but a similar action carried out against a real enemy, with soldiers shooting back, is called an operation. The exercise is what is sometimes called in civilian life a 'dummy run', or a 'trial run'.
So it is a misuse to name the new way of carrying out business, or a new campaign to sell a new product, or the adoption of a new system in the office etc, an exercise. It is a real action. People may get hurt. Therefore it should be called an operation.
If it were an exercise, it would be merely a practice, with blank ammunition. Operation Overlord (the code-name for D-Day in 1944) was preceded by many exercises, or practices.
