# Rokottaa



## Spongiformi

*Mod note: thread split from here.*



Määränpää said:


> For some reason, "rokottaa" (to vaccinate (from "rokko" (pox))) means "to take a part away" in figurative speech. I've wondered before if it's because the vaccination needle hurts and losing something causes an unpleasant feeling.



Doesn't it come from the fact vaccination reduces a pathogen's chances of multiplying up to disease inducing numbers in a patient? So, it prevents some theoretical full potential from being achieved.

_Sadekuuro rokotti ulkoilmanäyttelyn kävijämäärää._
Here the rain would be the vaccination and the visitors would be the pathogens. 100% analogous.


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## Määränpää

Spongiformi said:


> Doesn't it come from the fact vaccination reduces a pathogen's chances of multiplying up to disease inducing numbers in a patient? So, it prevents some theoretical full potential from being achieved.
> 
> _Sadekuuro rokotti ulkoilmanäyttelyn kävijämäärää._
> Here the rain would be the vaccination and the visitors would be the pathogens. 100% analogous.



That makes sense! But why does it always seem to be some good thing that does not reach its full potential, such as the net income of the middle class: _"Kataisen hallitus rokottaa keskiluokkaa ja antaa köyhille."

_


Gavril said:


> Onko kyseessä jokin urheilullinen "rokottaa"-verbin merkitys?



Sometimes in sports journalism, "rokottaa" refers to scoring a goal: _"Bergenheim rokotti _(~punished?) _Detroitia kahdesti."_


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## Gavril

Määränpää said:


> That makes sense! But why does it always seem to be some good thing that does not reach its full potential, such as the net income of the middle class: _"Kataisen hallitus rokottaa keskiluokkaa ja antaa köyhille."
> 
> _
> 
> Sometimes in sports journalism, "rokottaa" refers to scoring a goal: _"Bergenheim rokotti _(~punished?) _Detroitia kahdesti."_



"punished" could work in that context. We also have the expression, "Bergenheim *neutralized* Detroit's players", where the verb is closer in meaning to _rokottaa_, but this doesn't refer to scoring individual goals: it refers to Bergenheim's overall performance in a game or series.


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## hui

Mahdollinen etymologia:

rokottaa > pistää > ronkkia, sorkkia (esim. mailalla) > satuttaa, rangaista > vähentää (pituudes*t*a muutaman metrin)


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