conuly: Discworld quote: "The new day is a great big fish!" (fish)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2011-01-20 10:35 am
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How is it that a rut is a sort of a groove

but getting into a groove and getting into a rut are two entirely different things?
steorra: Restaurant sign that says Palatal (linguistics)

[personal profile] steorra 2011-01-20 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Getting into a rut and getting into a groove aren't entirely different things - they're similar things except the first has a negative spin and the second has a positive spin.

They're both situations where you get into a pattern of doing something and it's relatively easy to keep on doing the same thing - just sometimes it's a pattern that you want to stay in (in which case we call it getting into a groove), and sometimes it's a pattern you don't want to stay in (in which case we call it getting into a rut).

Which one's called 'in a rut' and which one's called 'in a groove' is maybe a bit arbitrary. Though - I think the physical sense of 'in a rut' also have negative connotations; I don't think there's a similar positive parallel with 'groove', but not a negative one either.

At least, that's my take on the phrases.
mc776: The blocky spiral motif based on the golden ratio that I use for various ID icons, ending with a red centre. (Default)

[personal profile] mc776 2011-01-21 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
Sound symbolism?

[identity profile] ncp.livejournal.com 2011-01-20 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I think "getting into the groove" is a more recent expression, from record players, when the needle would be "in the groove" and the music was playing and everything was, well, groovy.

Dunno about "in a rut" I think it's gotta do with farming.

[identity profile] sayga.livejournal.com 2011-01-20 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
I think ruts are deeper and harder to get out of. If you were 4 wheeling, a groove would make it easier to travel the road because someone's been there before, but a rut might be too deep and you could get hung up there. Although I bet the etymology of groove is more like ncp stated.
l33tminion: (Default)

[personal profile] l33tminion 2011-01-20 10:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Rut" has the connotation of being accidental and hard to escape, groove doesn't have those connotations.
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[identity profile] chaos-by-design.livejournal.com 2011-01-21 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
This is the most awesome question ever.

But I have nothing intelligent to add.