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Topic: Benefit of the Doubt

Message 1 / 5
Robert L. TorresFeb 5, 2008
 

 
After gaining some rather insightful information as to the origins of
the phrase 'hoist with his own petard', I thought I might address the
notion of another overly used phrase in Just a Minute.... 'Benefit of
the Doubt'.

this is a phrase that seems to get tossed around more often nowadays,
more like an excuse for Nicholas to leave a subject with someone
regardless of whether the challenge that someone made was correct or
not.

sometimes a great deal of comic value has been attributed to this
notion of getting the 'benefit of the doubt'. there was one show in
which Tony Hawks made a running gag, to which Nicholas was unfair to
him on a challenge early in the show and planned to find an
opportuntiy give him the 'benefit of the doubt' in order to redress
the balance. and Tony would make frequent references throughout the
show that he still had that 'benefit of the doubt' in his pocket,
saving it up or something like that.

There was another episode when Ross Noble got a huge laugh and a
round of applause when he challenged someone who was speaking by
saying to Nicholas 'there's 20 quid for the benefit of the doubt',
after Nicholas had so ludicrously stated moments before that people
bribe him to get the 'benefit of the doubt'.

a very early example of the hilarity induced by this phrase arose in
an episode that featured Clement, Derek, Kenneth, and Andree Melly.
I forget the subject, I think it was over a series of subjects, one
of them being 'building an igloo', it seemed that each time Nicholas
would not take the subject away from Kenneth, even though he was in
clear violation of the rules, it was because Nicholas was giving
him 'the benefit of the doubt', even though Nicholas vehemently
denied that he was doing so.

Nicholas seems to throw this phrase out so often that it's lost all
meaning for me, when anyone else says 'benefit of the doubt', all I
think about is that its some commodity people use in Just a Minute.

any thoughts?

 
<<<<   1861   >>>>

Topic: Re: Benefit of the Doubt

Message 2 / 5
Dean BedfordFeb 5, 2008
 

 
On Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at 07:09 AM, Robert L. Torres wrote:

> After gaining some rather insightful information as to the origins of
> the phrase 'hoist with his own petard', I thought I might address the
> notion of another overly used phrase in Just a Minute.... 'Benefit of
> the Doubt'.

I can't tell whether you really are unsure what the phrase means - it
may be more of an English phrase but it is widely used in sports. For
example in cricket it's intended to mean that if it's a 50-50 call for
the umpire, the benefit of the doubt goes to the batsman.

All Nicholas is saying that the decision could go either way, or that
there are good arguments on both sides.

He uses it to let someone down gently I think in the same way that he
almost always now says someone is in a "magnificent fourth place" even
if they've only got three points. I think the humour in it is that he
does over-use it and it has become something of a cliche. It's part of
his style and personally I think it shows he's basically a kind-hearted
man who doesn't like to let someone down, and puts him in a good light.

 
<<<<   1863   >>>>

Topic: Re: Benefit of the Doubt

Message 3 / 5
Robert TorresFeb 5, 2008
 

 

On Wednesday, February 6, 2008, at 07:09 AM, Robert L. Torres wrote:

> After gaining some rather insightful information as to the origins of
> the phrase 'hoist with his own petard', I thought I might address the
> notion of another overly used phrase in Just a Minute.... 'Benefit of
> the Doubt'.

I can't tell whether you really are unsure what the phrase means - it
may be more of an English phrase but it is widely used in sports. For
example in cricket it's intended to mean that if it's a 50-50 call for
the umpire, the benefit of the doubt goes to the batsman.

All Nicholas is saying that the decision could go either way, or that
there are good arguments on both sides.

He uses it to let someone down gently I think in the same way that he
almost always now says someone is in a "magnificent fourth place" even
if they've only got three points. I think the humour in it is that he
does over-use it and it has become something of a cliche. It's part of
his style and personally I think it shows he's basically a kind-hearted
man who doesn't like to let someone down, and puts him in a good light.

---

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

 
<<<<   1878   >>>>

Topic: Re: Benefit of the Doubt

Message 4 / 5
lindaFeb 6, 2008
 

 
--- In just-a-minute@..., Robert Torres
<bobbyshaddoe3004@...> wrote:

>
> well, the phrase has been thrown out there so often on the show,

the meaning is just lost for me. It would make sense if the phrase
was used less frequently, but it seems nowadays that every decision
Nicholas makes has him giving someone 'the benefit of the doubt'
even though, more often than not, there is no doubt whatsoever that
a person had a correct challenge.


dean i might be contradicting you a bit here but i belive it first
was used as a legal term . to convict someone of a crime a jury had
to be sure beyond resonable doubt that a person was guilty . if they
was any doubt at all the defendant could not be found guilty and so
got the benfit of the doubt and usually got off what ever crime they
were chagred with . i could be wormg though !
cheers
Linda

 
<<<<   1879   >>>>

Topic: Re: Benefit of the Doubt

Message 5 / 5
lindaFeb 6, 2008
 

 

> dean i might be contradicting you a bit here but i belive it

first

> was used as a legal term . to convict someone of a crime a jury

had

> to be sure beyond resonable doubt that a person was guilty . if

they

> was any doubt at all the defendant could not be found guilty and

so

> got the benfit of the doubt and usually got off what ever crime

they

> were chagred with . i could be wormg though !
> cheers
> Linda

that should read of course if there was any doubt not if they was
any doubt . i did warn you about my dyslexia :-)
i looked up benefit of the doubt online and it looks like i could be
right :

benefit of the doubt

A favorable judgment granted in the absence of full evidence.

i will hereby give my word i will not hog this bord again !


cheers
Linda