British "Fixed"

[Hosnon]

Regarding the DSM. I am looking for an individual that is from Britian or knows the vernacular of Britain that can tell me if 'fixed' has a different meaning than the one assumed in American English.

Thanks!

[Luminous Animal]

1. From Media Matters

Check this entry titled "British sources confirm that meaning of "fixed" -- as in "manipulated" or "cooked" -- is the same in Britain and America
http://mediamatters.org/items/200506170003

[Fridays Child]

2. This should help.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200506170003

[Spazito]

3. Here is a response from the British journalist that broke the story

as to what 'fixed' means in Britain:

Michael Smith: There are number of people asking about fixed and its meaning. This is a real joke. I do not know anyone in the UK who took it to mean anything other than fixed as in fixed a race, fixed an election, fixed the intelligence. If you fix something, you make it the way you want it. The intelligence was fixed and as for the reports that said this was one British official. Pleeeaaassee! This was the head of MI6. How much authority do you want the man to have? He has just been to Washington, he has just talked to George Tenet. He said the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. That translates in clearer terms as the intelligence was being cooked to match what the administration wanted it to say to justify invading Iraq. Fixed means the same here as it does there. More leaks? I do hope so and the more Blair and Bush lie to try to get themselves off the hook the more likely it is that we will get more leaks.

_______________________

Link to the entire article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/06/14/DI2005061401261.html?referrer=email

[Tace]

5. I'm Glad This Matter Has Been Put To Rest

[punpirate]

4. In British colloquial vernacular...

... "fixed" is a shortened version of "affixed."

It doesn't change the import of the phrase. In American English or British English, it still means that conclusions of dubious value were fitted to the policy, rather than the facts determining the policy. It's the same thing as, in faux science, beginning with a conclusion and finding facts to prove the conclusion.

What Dearlove was saying was that the process employed by the British was the equivalent of the British government doing what the fundies do here with regard to creationism--starting from a pre-conceived notion and searching for evidence to validate that notion.

Cheers.

[TahitiNut]

6. "The fix is in."

There's not a greedy neocon on the planet that wouldn't know what that means, both in the UK and the colonies. Indeed, rather than expressing puzzlement, they'd be trying to get a piece of the action. And they did.

[FrenchieCat]

7. It means that the intelligence was not fabricated or made up....

but rather, it was cherry picked, selectively highlighted, massaged, hyped and if needed discounted. Whatever intelligence was out there, was organized in such a manner as to build the best case. So the intelligence was fixed.....not fabricated or invented, but fitted to the desired conclusion.

example:
Intelligence finds-- X number of vials full of "z" missing from an Iraqi report.

Although this may have been because the Iraqis didn't have X number of vials full of "Z" to include in the report.....

The official intelligence presented would say that Iraqis failed to report X number of vials full of "Z" because they are lying about what they have.

The intelligence itself is still the same (X number of vials full of "z" missing from an Iraqi report)....but the analysis to form a conclusion based on it takes on a completely different face.

Fixed = fitted

[CJCRANE]

8. I'm in Britain....

First of all, this argument that "fixed" has a different meaning in British English is nonsense. It has exactly the same meanings in exactly the same contexts.

Second, have you noticed that everyone who says it has a different meaning comes up with a different definition, such as "bolted on", "corroborated", it means "to repair", it doesn't mean to repair etc etc.

[ngGale]

9. Only in America....

would this discussion be taking place, over one word. A word that has a very clear meaning. Manipulated, fixed - sound bite, it has a different meaning in the UK, sheeple.

[julianer]

10. Let's not forget what this fixing

process actually meant - our governments were going to people like Ahmed Chalabi, a convicted fraudster, and asking them for 'intelligence' while giving them a very clear idea of what sort of 'intelligence' was required.

The fix is much bigger than trying to fit true intelligence to a policy - it was the complete creation of 'intelligence'. In this sense it is irrelevant what definition of 'fix' is applied.

[evermind]

11. I'm British, and I have a dictionary

and, I hope, an analysis. Here it is:

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary lists 19 (nineteen!) senses of "fix" as a verb. Unurprisingly, it doesn’t include "bolt on" as one of them, but sense 1: "make stable; fasten, secure" could support that.

Sense 7: "determine the exact nature, position, etc., of … identify, locate" has been suggested as has sense 6: "place definitely or permanently, establish, station".

Sense number 10: "deprive of fluidity or volatility; congeal" (in this context, perhaps "crystalise") has also been touted.

Except (as has been noted) the quote is: "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

So the reading we’re asked to make is one of:

"Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being attached around the policy."

or

"Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being determined around the policy."

or

"Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being put in place around the policy."

or

"Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being crystalised around the policy."

Notice how that "but" sticks out like a sore thumb in all the above?

Because it makes the “fixed” sentence rub against the previous one, either the verb we replaced “fixed” with takes on a negative connotation, or the sentence just sounds odd.

Now, lets try this:

"Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fraudulently arranged around the policy."

Notice how natural that sounds, in contrast to the four previous versions?

Sense 12(b) is given as: "arrange the result (of a race, match, etc.) fraudulently (the competition was fixed)"