pointer/advice

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fdk47

Senior Member

Tagalog

Is the word "pointer" meaning "a piece of advice (on how to succeed in a certain area)" used commonly by both male and female, and by young and old, or is there only a specific group of people who use this word?

Thank you.

👁 velisarius

velisarius

Senior Member

Greece

British English (Sussex)

The WR dictionary has this definition and example:

1. a piece of advice, esp. on how to succeed in a certain area:gave the rookie some pointers on good batting.

Another example - "Hi, I'm Julia Child and today I'm going to give you a few pointers on how to cook a really good boeuf bourgingnon."

Is there any special reason you think the word might be used by a specific group only? I can't think why it couldn't be used by anyone.

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fdk47

Senior Member

Tagalog

Thank you, velisarius. I asked the question because it sounded like the word derived from sports to me.

👁 velisarius

velisarius

Senior Member

Greece

British English (Sussex)

That's an interesting question then. My Julia Child example was my own invention, so here is an example from Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

Pointer: a helpful piece of advice or information Let me give you some pointers on improving your skills as an interviewee.

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fdk47

Senior Member

Tagalog

Thank you very much, velisarius. Your thoughts on the word as a native speaker is always very helpful to me and to all of us who are learning English. 👁 Smile :)

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