MY loss?Marvin_Edwards wrote: ↑November 21st, 2020, 7:03 pmSounds like he didn't honor the agreement. Or perhaps he didn't understand that an honor system means being trusted to do the right thing rather than an opportunity to take advantage of someone's trust and good will. Sorry for your loss.Sculptor1 wrote: ↑November 21st, 2020, 7:09 am I think the idea of "honor" is not the same as "honour".
My father. an American, and I were considerably overweight. I suggested that we help each other and enter into a pact whereby we would go on diets to loose proportionately the same weights, with a formula that favoured him, though he had to lose 2lbs for every 1lb I lost, since he excess weight was 3 times mine, he agreed he was on to a good deal. We both understood that losing weight was much easier the fatter you are.
We set out targets (rather modest, I thought), and agreed to pay the other $500 for reaching and sustaining the target for two months. If we both reached the target no one would pay out.
I suggested that we each pay our bet into the hands of a third party, and that person would adjudicate the results with a weigh-in.
"No, that won't be necessary", he said, "We'll use the honor system."
"Oh?", I replied, "what is that?"
"It means we both agree to the terms and offer our own evidence to claim, or disclaim any winnings."
"The honour system.", I repeated.
"Yes", he replied, "the honor system".
Sadly I missed the dropped "u". Not realising what that meant. Thinking that it meant "fulfil (an obligation) or keep (an agreement)." Maybe a British upbringing fosters trust?
So I went on to smash my target and kept going to lose more weight, for several months.
My father only lost a few pounds not even scratching the surface.
"So you lost the best, then, Dad".
"Lucky, it was only done under the honor system!", he replied.
I put back all those Lbs eventually. As for my Dad, he lost it all 10 years ago after a heart attack. He was a film buff and script writer, the film that killed him was Florence Foster Jenkins.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4136084/?r ... lmg_act_14
He collapsed after seeing it. THe singing was all too much to bear.