2023-06-13 11:00:41
Guarantee y protect They are some alternatives to the verb shieldof which sometimes needlessly abused.
In the news, however, this verb can be seen used profusely and in many different contexts, such as in the following examples: “Its declaration as an insular property was intended to shield the project to avoid legal problems” or “120 policemen will shield the shops of the center”.
The main meaning of the verb shield according to the academic dictionary is ‘protect externally with various materials, especially with metal plates, a thing or a place against the effects of bullets, fire, etc.’. This same work clarifies that It is also used figurativelywhich conveys the idea that something is firmly protectedwithout possible external influences.
Although this figurative use is not in itself incorrect, it should be remembered that in some contexts it may be vague and that there are verbs that can convey more precisely the specific situation that you want to report on, such as guarantee, ensure, safeguard, secure o protect. With the use of shield You probably want to emphasize the degree of protection, but its abusive use only contributes to the fact that this reinforcement stops working.
On the other hand, vagueness has led to many times it is used improperly with a similar meaning to ‘put up barriers’, rather than the original meaning of ‘strongly protect’as in “The city will shield traffic in much of downtown”, which does not really indicate that it will protect traffic, but rather that will be restricted o will be preventedor in “The Senate will shield the importation of medicines”, where what is meant is that will regulate what will be regulated.
Thus, in the first examples, it could also have been said “Its declaration as an insular property was intended to safeguard the project to avoid legal problems” and “120 police officers will protect the downtown businesses.”
Finally, it should be noted that the verb shield It also has the meaning of ‘putting in a labor contract a clause that guarantees compensation much higher than normal in case of early termination of that one’, as in «The Dutch team is already working to shield the midfielder’s contract».
The post «shield», use and abuse first appeared on FundéuRAE.
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