Grammar: What exactly is "leverage"

[TidesOfBlood]

Hey what up all you mmo-champions. I've been seeing the term "leverage" used a lot lately in books, movies, everyday dialogue.

Usually when I see it, it is used in some sort of deal or transaction...like "you gatta have some leverage right now" or "you got no leverage".

The way I imagine it is like a seesaw, but that doesn't really help lol. I still get confused by what leverage means.

I need help discerning what this term means and how its used. I was wondering if someone could help me. thx!

[NatePsy]

To have an advantage over something/someone.

[Deleted]

Noun 1. leverage - strategic advantage; power to act effectively; "relatively small groups can sometimes exert immense political leverage".

Most fitting definition given the context you described. Hope that helps

[TidesOfBlood]

To have an advantage over something/someone.

Hmm okay. So in Dredd3D in the beginning when the bad guy had a person hostage and the judge said "ill give you life sentence instead of death", the bad guy said "you got no leverage"...where exactly does the advantage come in?

I'm sorry if im looking at in differently than you. its very confusing for me atm.

[Deleted]

It means that you are in a more powerful position or have something that is to your advantage.

---------- Post added 2013-05-18 at 01:07 AM ----------

Hmm okay. So in Dredd3D in the beginning when the bad guy had a person hostage and the judge said "ill give you life sentence instead of death", the bad guy said "you got no leverage"...where exactly does the advantage come in?

I'm sorry if im looking at in differently than you. its very confusing for me atm.

It means that the bad guy believed that Dredd (or whoever) was in a weaker position than him, knowing Dredd he would have shot the hostage to get to the perp anyway.

[TidesOfBlood]

It means that you are in a more powerful position or have something that is to your advantage.

---------- Post added 2013-05-18 at 01:07 AM ----------



It means that the bad guy believed that Dredd (or whoever) was in a weaker position than him, knowing Dredd he would have shot the hostage to get to the perp anyway.

O okay I think I get it. The bad guy thought he was in stronger position because he had the person hostage and Dredd's position or leverage (let the hostage go and ill give you a life sentence) wasn't that great? Am i right in saying that?

[Remilia]

Usually when someone has leverage, they have something in possession or ability to tip the situation in their favor. In the example you gave, the hostage.

[Deleted]

imagine trying to open a crate that is nailed shut with your hands, you cant do it easily (if at all) so you use a crowbar to pry it open, in this instance the crowbar offers you better leverage, it doesnt offer you any more strength than you already have but it is a tool that allows you to use your strength to better effect.

[openair]

they have something in possession or ability to tip the situation in their favor. In the example you gave, the hostage.

Or like the op said.. Tip the "seesaw" in their favor. Leverage comes from the word lever. "A lever amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, which is said to provide leverage." A lever is a device, short like a "seesaw," but with the point of balance closer to one side then the other. Which amplifies the force applied to one side of the "seesaw" to make your job of moving the other side easier. In the Dredd3d example... the bad guy believes the point of balance is in his favor, or at least in the middle.

[Powerogue]

I would think the seesaw would be the best analogy. I'm pretty confident that's where they got the word, from the root "lever".

you have the two sides of the seesaw. Some landwhale is on the other side, so you are the weaker in this equation. You get your six friends as leverage to try to pull the seesaw in your favor, but the seesaw snaps and the landwhale falls on their face and this is where the analogy starts breaking down a little bit.

[Lemons]

When you're moving something heavy brute force usually doesn't work, you need leverage. So the person is basically saying "you can't budge me from my position because you have nothing to move me (no leverage)."

[mercutiouk]

When you're moving something heavy brute force usually doesn't work, you need leverage. So the person is basically saying "you can't budge me from my position because you have nothing to move me (no leverage)."

This is the source of the word nicely explained, was about to write very similar but saw I was beaten to it. With a big enough (infinite strength) lever you can basically move anything so having leverage is the analogous statement to cover a similar situation.

[Deleted]

Okay, do you know the show Scrubs? Do you know Bob Kelso? He always treats Ted like crap.

The Janitor and Ted discussed earlier that ' with Kelso, you have no leverage'.

Then this happened:



And the reason Janitor says that at the end is because Ted can sue Kelso now for hitting Ted who was on a bike. Ted holds an advantage and can get back at Kelso for treating Ted like dirt.