Illustrative Context

Throw it so that I can catch it.

Target Sense

• The most basic verb that most naturally pairs with the verb ‘catch’, as in the illustrative context, e.g. English throw or French lancer
• The target sense is that of using the hand to cause something to move through the air, rather than on the ground. The lexeme entered should be the basic verb that most expresses this contrast with other motion verbs, for which the movement is not through the air, e.g. push, pull, roll.
• Some languages may use a rather more general verb, not exclusively for motion through the air, e.g. Italian tirare, and/or may clarify that where necessary by explicitly adding phrases such as in the air, e.g. Spanish tirar (al aire). Provided that the verb alone is nonetheless the normal, basic word used for throwing, it should still be selected, as per normal IE-CoR policy to choose the most generic, common verb that also covers the target sense.
• Avoid verbs that typically carry more specific overtones. Many languages express these by morphological additions to the basic ‘throw’ verb (e.g. English throw away, throw out), in which case the basic root throw remains the target lexeme. But where multiple different verb roots exist, enter the most generic one most free of specific overtones, such as any of the following.
  • Avoid verbs that imply a specific directional sense, and/or with overtones of throwing in order to strike a target, throwing at (rather than to) someone or something, or into water, and so on.
  • Avoid verbs with inherent overtones of discarding or disposing of an object, i.e. throw away, throw out.
  • Avoid intensifying verbs for throwing particularly far or hard, or for violent or careless throwing, e.g. hurl, sling.
  • Avoid technical terminology or terminology of throwing specific types of object, e.g. launch.
  • Avoid non-default register words, such as colloquial English chuck, French balancer.
• Some languages, particularly in the Romance family, have multiple close candidate lexemes for ‘throw’, so to determine the most appropriate lexeme in these languages requires targeting precisely the narrower sense described here, and the illustrative context. French, for example, has two main translation equivalents for ‘throw’, lancer and jeter, but the for me to catch it part of the illustrative context identifies lancer as more appropriate (Lance-le pour que je l’atrappe, rather than Jette-le ...).