English term
is no toy; is not a toy
As a British ENS of some 7 decades, I don't feel comfortable with the first option - I cannot say why, it just sounds wrong. Now, I know language moves on, but has it done here?
What do our ENS colleagues think, please? I suspect the "no" would more often be used with an intangible such as "that's no reason...", but is there any general rule?
PS: This appears in the (safety) instructions for a battery-operated toy.
| 5 +12 | is not a toy |
Liz Dexter (was Broomfield)
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| 4 | Not a toy |
kmtext
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Aug 2, 2012 08:12: urbom changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
PRO (1): Lancashireman
Non-PRO (3): B D Finch, Yvonne Gallagher, urbom
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Responses
United Kingdom
Proofreading, editing & localisation
Native in: English (Variants: US, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, British, UK)
Works in: English
is not a toy
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Jack Doughty
30 mins
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Thank you!
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Melanie Nassar
: very nice discussion by Terry (and quite apt, IMO)
44 mins
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Indeed.
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Thayenga
: "is no toy" would be slang. :)
47 mins
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Thank you! although it's not slang, it's just another construction
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Jenni Lukac (X)
: For me, "is no" is a poetic construction.
53 mins
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Agree too!
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Oliver Lawrence
: "is no toy" (not slang, BTW) carries a deprecating connotation, whereas what is required is simple, neutral information
54 mins
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Yes!
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José J. Martínez
: Agree with Oliver
58 mins
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Me too!
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Demi Ebrite
2 hrs
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Thank you!
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Sheila Wilson
3 hrs
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Thank you!
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Armorel Young
: Yes, indeed - and very like the frequently seen "This bag is not a toy".
6 hrs
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Thank you! I was wondering about "This battery is not a toy", actually
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Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
6 hrs
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Thank you!
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| agree |
axies
22 hrs
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Thank you!
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| agree |
Mohammad Ali Moinfar (X)
22 hrs
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Thank you!
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Not a toy
When something "is no toy", it conveys - to me at least - a sense that in a laddish way, it is a toy, but only for those who know how to use it properly.
It's also used in the sense of "this is a serious piece of kit", as opposed to "this is not something you play with".
Discussion
The comparison can be reversed in an ironic way. My AK-47 rifle is no toy.
The "is not" is more of an exclusion. My Peugeot is not an elephant. It does not belong to the same set as elephants.
Although the manufacturer could be saying that a battery is a toy but a rather poor one, it is more likely that they mean that it should not be used as a toy under any circumstances. Therefore, the "is not" construct is the correct choice here.