boot camp

[greenheyes]

I would much appreciate your opinion on the above term. In American English, do you say football boot camp to describe a place where different teams gather to train? I thought boot camp was either a military training centre or an institution for juvenile deliquents.

Many thanks for your help.

 

[pob14]

Football teams have training camp each summer before the season begins in the fall. Teams each train separately; they don't train together.

We do use boot camp metaphorically to mean any short, introductory training program; I, for example, attended my state's "prosecutor boot camp." But it wouldn't be used for the situation you describe.

 

[JamesM]

We do use boot camp metaphorically to mean any short, introductory training program.

I agree. In fact, I have a friend who runs a training program called Bridal Business Boot Camp (which always brought up strange mental images for me -- obstacle courses in wedding gowns...) :^) I have also seen CNA (Certified Network Administrator) Boot Camp, Fitness Boot Camp as well as other training programs using "boot camp" in the name.

As pob14 said, it's usually a one-time introductory or intensive training program. You don't usually go through boot camp more than once. You either succeed or fail in Boot Camp.

 

[Fabulist]

I don't know how to put in the link, but there is another thread titled "boot camp," which I found by putting "boot camp" in the search window at the top of the page. It's from this year.

 

[JamesM]

Here it is:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2128562