Learn English – Does “bend your knees, please” have the same meaning as “squat down, please”
meaningphrases
Do these two sentences imply the same action?
Best Answer
Not at all!
"Bend your knees, please!" means that the speaker asks the listener to stay in a postition where one or both knees are on the ground. This position is often interpreted as an act of praying and submission (compare Romeo & Juliet).
"Squat down, please!" means that the speaker requests the listener to lower his/her butt to sit like a frog. This position is often interpreted as an act of performing Yoga and Quadriceps Exercises. In some of the Asian countries, there are squat toilets where a squatting down position is needed!
In my mind, it's a very extreme form of commitment reserved for out of the ordinary scenarios. Not something I would recommend telling a boss on a regular basis, as it robs the term of its degree of commitment.
You might bend over backwards to win a key client from a competitor, but you wouldn't bend over backwards to get the weekly report in on time.
Even then, to use the phrase is indicative that you really need something to happen and that the consequences for your job/reputation/well being might be extreme if you couldn't. One typically bends over backwards not just for someone in a higher position than oneself, but also when the person you're doing it for shows little regard for you, because they know they're in control due to their station.
People who bend over backwards often assume a submissive role, which is not to be mistaken with there mere seniority that a boss would have over you at work.
I disagree with @wfaulk. It's not "the exact same thing." To "have something down" means to know it. To "have something down pat" is to know it perfectly, as @FumbleFingers points out, though he balks at giving any explanation of the former expression, which is in wide use (at least in the USA).
There is a difference, depending on the tolerances involved in the domain, but I would take "having something down" to mean being able to do a thing merely to a reasonable degree, not flawlessly. At least the meaning may descend to that level; you could mean you know something perfectly, but you could also mean you simply know enough about it to pass some essential requirements.
Best Answer
Not at all!
"Bend your knees, please!" means that the speaker asks the listener to stay in a postition where one or both knees are on the ground. This position is often interpreted as an act of praying and submission (compare Romeo & Juliet).
"Squat down, please!" means that the speaker requests the listener to lower his/her butt to sit like a frog. This position is often interpreted as an act of performing Yoga and Quadriceps Exercises. In some of the Asian countries, there are squat toilets where a squatting down position is needed!