If you were a horse...

Tiny Nell

would you stoop your head or your neck?

Liz

I'd lower my head. Then the neck would follow. I wouldn't use stoop as that implies back.

Tiny Nell

So this is wrong:

'Their necks were stooped towards the lush grass...'

Baggy Books

Liz

Well, when you stoop, you do curve your back and the image that springs to mind is of a curve of nec, so i don't think it is wrong as such.

Liz

Can't comment on the prize thread as the box has no bottom.

Tiny Nell

Baggy, spit it out. You think that's wrong, don't you?

Baggy Books

I googled the problem. Giraffes stoop to drink. There's nothing specifically linked to the head or neck. They just stoop.

Tiny Nell

Now the word 'stoop' feels peculiar to me. I have thought about it too much.
So, maybe it should be:

'They were stooped towards the lush grass.'

Does it work with 'were'?

Tiny Nell

Problem solved:

'Their heads were lowered towards the lush grass.'

That'll do... although I had grown fond of 'stooped'.

Liz

Well, lowered IS correct!

Liz

Giraffes actually do stoop - they widen their front legs and front back lowers, so they DO stoop with their back.

Tiny Nell

I wonder if I could shoehorn a giraffe into the plot...

Baggy Books

No need. Just replace horse with giraffe. It will be fine.

Tiny Nell

Yes, I think that would blend nicely into the English countryside.

Baggy Books

Glad to help.

Mrs Bear

It's the dappled effect, TN - very summery.
'Their necks were stooped' - by whom?

Phots Moll

To me stoop implies both the bending part and the moving the neck. If someone said, 'she had a stoop' I'd picture a bent neck - so stooping necks towards grass is a bit like bending bent necks towards the grass.

Tiny Nell

You're right, Mrs Bear. There is no one else involved. It is all the horses' own doing. Or the giraffes'.

Phots Moll

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-rothschilds-giraffes-giraffa-camelopardalis-rothschildi-captive-woburn-72896535.html

Tiny Nell

Thank you, PM. That confirms that I can very much have giraffes roaming the English countryside. I hope that they will also be happy to gallop across the fields with children on their backs.

Phots Moll

Yep - or big ones if you like. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2202091/Teenager-revives-British-ancestors-tradition-learning-ride-foot-GIRAFFE-farm-South-Africa.html

Tiny Nell

You are a veritable mine of giraffe-related information, PM.

Liz

Hrmph. Just because one idiot boy thinks it's 'healthy' for his giraffe 'as his ancestors' did, doesn't mean it is. Look at how his ancestors treated actual people. More like, let's try riding this giraffe child I happen to have under my control - I know it won't kick me because giraffes are gentle.

Phots Moll

I'm not advocating the riding of giraffes - simply confirming the possibility. Elephants would be much better for riding. Or cows. Or camels.

Baggy Books

Or bicycles. Lovely photo on Facebook...

Liz

I saw that bike porn, BB.

Phots Moll

They don't eat lush grass though. We don't want to spoil TN's plot.

boredrobots

My Lovely Horse...

Tiny Nell

Is that a link, br? I can't click it.

Maybe I shouldn't...

Baggy Books

I did...

Phots Moll

I didn't dare.

boredrobots

Hmm, not working on mine either. It works if you right click and hit Open Link in New Tab though. It's safe, don't worry :P

Phots Moll

Oh, the man who posted it says it's safe ... must be fine then!

We haven't seen Baggy since she clicked it, but that's probably coincidence.

OK, here goes ...

Tiny Nell

Ha! Loved it!

boredrobots

Chances are a lot of you have seen it before anyway :P Depends if you watched Father Ted or not

Tiny Nell

I did watch it, but my memory is so bad that everything always appears refreshingly original.

Phots Moll

I don't remember seeing that before.