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Tue 9 Jun, 2015 12:10 pm
Plus, does "Saving yourself" refer back to abstinence?
Context:
Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down. "Saving yourself" before the big game, the big business deal, the big hoedown or the big bakeoff may indeed confer some moral benefit. But corporeally it does absolutely zip. There's no evidence it sharpens your competitive edge. The best that modern science can say for sexual abstinence is that it's harmless when practiced in moderation. Having regular and enthusiastic sex, by contrast, confers a host of measurable physiological advantages, be you male or female. (This assumes that you are engaging in sex without contracting a sexually transmitted disease.)
@oristarA,
For your body it does nothing. There is no good or bad involved in that it doesn't really affect the person if they have sex before a big event.
@parados,
parados wrote:
For your body it does nothing. There is no good or bad involved in that it doesn't really affect the person if they have sex before a big event.
I understood "big game" as "great competition". Am I on the right track?
@oristarA,
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say important game. It usually does refer to a sport where the competition is called a game. Big game would be a major sporting event such as the finals in the World Cup, the NBA playoffs, or some other sports game that has significance. It could be as simple as a game against a rival.
@parados,
Thanks.
Does bake-off refer to "a contest in which cooks prepare baked goods such as bread and cakes for judging"?
@oristarA,
Yes.
The author may be making a joke by listing items that don't have a physical component. The idea of abstaining from sex before an event has usually been for sporting events where you need physical stamina. In the movie
Rocky, when preparing for the big fight the trainer says to Rocky, "Sex weakens legs." as his argument to abstain the night before.
Does "Saving yourself" refer to "spending less your energy"?
@oristarA,
Also, (1) does "had better be sitting down" mean "had better be calming down"?
(2) Does "zip" refer to "restrict your energy"?
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote:
Also, (1) does "had better be sitting down" mean "had better be calming down"?
(2) Does "zip" refer to "restrict your energy"?
We say someone had better be sitting down when they hear the news when we want to imply that they'll be so shocked by it that they might faint and fall down.
Also, I think rather than "but it does no good to your body," the focus is on one's performance, not one's body. That is, abstinence does nothing to enhance performance.
@FBM,
Excellent!
What does "saving" mean there?
@oristarA,
To 'save oneself' in this context is synonymous with abstaining from sex. Teens used to be told 'save yourself for marriage,' meaning that one should be a virgin on one's wedding night.
@oristarA,
"Saving yourself" is a shortened version of "saving yourself for marriage" which means not having sex until married.
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