'on the ground'

[minestrone]

Where and when did the use of this ridiculous idiom begin?

'Boots on the ground', 'troops on the ground', 'nurses on the ground' etc.

Until we develop some kind of anti gravity technology or grow wings can we just stop using it.

[alluvial]

Contraction of battleground surely?

[VectraMan]

Presumably it's because we like to fight wars by bombing from a safe height rather than all that tedious mucking about getting close and personal to the people that we're oppressing/liberating. So "boots on the ground" means not in the air where the chances of any harm coming to them is pretty much zero.

[minestrone]

It is like that old waffle about 'asymmetric warfare' and how we can justify it in 'regime change'.

As soon as some illiterate peasant farmer puts a bomb next to a road they become no good dirty cheats.

[vwdan]

I don't really see it as ridiculous saying - I think it covers what the person is trying to say quite succinctly. Any, the BBC covered this for you a few weeks back;

BBC News - Where does the phrase 'boots on the ground' come from?

[mudskipper]

... as opposed to in an ivory tower.

[NickyBoy]

Where and when did the use of this ridiculous idiom begin?

'Boots on the ground', 'troops on the ground', 'nurses on the ground' etc.

Until we develop some kind of anti gravity technology or grow wings can we just stop using it.

No.

It's very easy to be involved in a endeavour with all your assets flying or remote. Ramping up to having people actively involved in an endeavour in a face to face (bullet to face?) role involves significantly more commitment. The same goes for civilian endeavours, where 'on the ground' is a excellent short form for putting people into service based or activity based roles that come face to face with the problem/people that need dealing with/helping.

Rather than having to state that every time, appending 'on the ground' is an excellent timesaver. You would need to be on the autistic spectrum to have a problem with that. You might want to get yourself checked.

[d000hg]

Where and when did the use of this ridiculous idiom begin?

'Boots on the ground', 'troops on the ground', 'nurses on the ground' etc.

Until we develop some kind of anti gravity technology or grow wings can we just stop using it.

Well if you're on the battlements directing troops, you are NOT on the ground but at a safe distance from the fighting.

Isn't that where it comes from?

[SimonMac]

Because its the difference between announcing something, and delivering something

[Magpie252]

So "boots on the ground" means not in the air where the chances of any harm coming to them is pretty much zero.

Try telling that to the 55,000 men from Bommer Command who didn't come home