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plod along

kansi

Senior Member
japanese
Meanwhile, the U.S. has plodded along with increased testing capacity but little strategy. This week, the Boston Globe reported that there were three times as many tests as test takers in Massachusetts, since cases are down and tests are still widely believed to be reserved for only people with serious illness.

What we really need now is surveillance — an ugly word to American ears, but in the public health context it should be thought of as spying on the virus, not on people

OPINION EXCHANGE | We can stop a second wave of COVID-19. We have the technology.

Does that plod mean work or progress tediously and in a slow manner? Here what's tedious is the virus.
Does that plod mean work or progress tediously and in a slow manner?
Yes.
Here what's tedious is the virus.
No. The verb "plod" does not in any way refer to the virus, and the "tediously" of the definition is an adverb, not the adjective "tedious". It cannot refer to a noun.
Yes.
No. The verb "plod" does not in any way refer to the virus, and the "tediously" of the definition is an adverb, not the adjective "tedious". It cannot refer to a noun.
I see.What's tediously done (worked) or the way what's done is tedious here?
SHUFFLE might be a good synonym...
Not to me.
When one shuffles (in the context of walking) one does not pick one's feet up off the floor or ground or wherever one is walking. When one plods, one picks up one's feet but moves with difficulty.
In addition, 'plod' is often used metaphorically for a situation in which someone (or some thing) makes slow progress, as is the case here with testing capacity in the U.S. But I've never seen or read 'shuffle' used in that metaphorical sense.
Thanks a lot for your contribution, Roxxxanne. I'll make a note of it.
Nothing is better than a native speaker to "feel" the meanings and the niceties of the language.

D.

👁 Smile :)
No. "Plod" refers to the US government's actions. The writer is criticising those actions as being taken in a slow and tedious manner. "Plod" does not refer in any way to the virus. The writer wants the government to stop plodding and to act more energetically - have a strategy, undertake disease surveillance.
No. "Plod" refers to the US government's actions. The writer is criticising those actions as being taken in a slow and tedious manner. "Plod" does not refer in any way to the virus. The writer wants the government to stop plodding and to act more energetically - have a strategy, undertake disease surveillance.
Ah their actions are tedious.They are working in the way that the actions make people seeing it feel tired or it looks to take longer than usual to finish their work?
I'm sure you are familiar with your government and other official organisations taking a long time to do something? They are very slow. They plod. It's as simple as that.
I'm sure you are familiar with your government and other official organisations taking a long time to do something? They are very slow. They plod. It's as simple as that.
I get that..but I just wonder how it's done in a tedious way?What does it mean being done in a tedious way?
Don't you find their plodding tedious?

You introduced the word 'tedious', you must know what you meant.

From the WR Dictionary.

v. [no object], plod•ded, plod•ding.
  1. to walk heavily or with difficulty; trudge: The old horse plodded slowly down the road.
  2. to work or proceed with steady but slow or difficult progress: He plodded along at his job.
Don't you find their plodding tedious?

You introduced the word 'tedious', you must know what you meant.

From the WR Dictionary.

v. [no object], plod•ded, plod•ding.
  1. to walk heavily or with difficulty; trudge: The old horse plodded slowly down the road.
  2. to work or proceed with steady but slow or difficult progress: He plodded along at his job.
You mean this tedious as this, right?

marked by tedium;
long and tiresome:tedious tasks; a tedious journey
→a tedious journy and task makes those who do tired

Thus the US government's actions plodded then the work they do is tedious so the work makes those who do it tired?
The work that individuals working in the government departments may well be tedious, and it may well make them tired, but we are not talking about that. We are talking about the plodding way in which the government as a whole moves with putting policies into action, just generally doing stuff, or in this instance increasing their testing capacity.

As I said earlier, you must be familiar with governments and big organisations and departments plodding. Well, it's this plodding that's tedious.
You mean this tedious as this, right?

I find it a little strange we've introduced the word "tedious" at all here. Usually it carries a sense of something that is not really difficult, but is so dull, monotonous, and boring so as to make you tired. It isn't getting tired from effort, it's getting tired from boredom.

"Plod" on the other hand is a direct expression of walking through something that is difficult to walk through, which results in one being slow. Plodding through a marsh, plodding through snow, etc. Metaphorically, the task (the government's response to COVID-19) is difficult and progress is slow.
Metaphorically, the task (the government's response to COVID-19) is difficult and progress is slow.
That is not what the writer of the OP text is saying. She is saying that the actions of the government are inappropriate. They plod along in one direction like a slow-moving carthorse, creating more and more tests, rather than having an active strategy of targeted case detection.

Thus the US government's actions plodded then the work they do is tedious so the work makes those who do it tired?
Yet again, NO. This has nothing at all to do with hard work or becoming tired.

Plod
To work or proceed with steady but slow or difficult progress:
I find it a little strange we've introduced the word "tedious" at all here.
I agree. What made you bring in the word "tedious", kansi? It's not relevant to a definition of "plod".
I agree. What made you bring in the word "tedious", kansi? It's not relevant to a definition of "plod".
If you look at the OP you'll see this definition.
Does that plod mean work or progress tediously and in a slow manner?
Which comes from the Wordreference dictionary.
to proceed in a tediously slow manner
And this from Merriam-Webster
to proceed slowly or tediously
But, as has been pointed out repeatedly, the adverb refers to the manner of proceeding, not to the nature of any task that is being undertaken.
If you look at the OP you'll see this definition.
[...]
Which comes from the Wordreference dictionary.
Ah, I see, Andy: it's a reference to a particular use of "plod" - one which gives rise to tedium in the observer:
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2020​
plod (plod), v., plod•ded, plod•ding, n.​
v.i​
1. [...]​
2. to proceed in a tediously slow manner:​
The play just plodded along in the second act.​

3.[...].​

That makes sense, but it doesn't mean that tedium is inherent in the general meaning.of plod.
But, as has been pointed out repeatedly, the adverb refers to the manner of proceeding, not to the nature of any task that is being undertaken.
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Ah, I see, Andy: it's a reference to a particular use of "plod" - one which gives rise to tedium in the observer:
So in the op sentence, that plod means how they do gives rise to tedium in those who observe the goverment;observers=us, citizens?
So in the op sentence, that plod means how they do gives rise to tedium in those who observe the goverment;observers=us, citizens?
Well, it doesn't mean that to me - my reaction to the US government's response has little to do with tedium.
I think you should focus on slowness and ponderousness as the key meanings of "plod".
Well, it doesn't mean that to me - my reaction to the US government's response has little to do with tedium.
I think you should focus on slowness and ponderousness as the key meanings of "plod".
It sounds like although the word tedious is in the definition, it doesn't apply in this op sentence?
word tedious is in the definition
The one definition you are referring to says: to proceed in a tediously slow manner.

Again, it's the manner in which it proceeds which is tedious.

I think we've said all that can be said about this. It's becoming tedious.
The one definition you are referring to says: to proceed in a tediously slow manner.

Again, it's the manner in which it proceeds which is tedious.

I think we've said all that can be said about this. It's becoming tedious.
I see. it's not the nature of that work but how the goverment does that work (=the manner the government does that work) that is tedious. Is this what you were saying?
It's in the definitions.
I see. The one I thought fits in the op sentence is a bit different from the right definition.That's it?
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