Talk:The Counterfeiters (novel)

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'Tempted to commit' or 'tempted into committing'?[edit]

Does he do it? It is many years since I read the book, but, in the light of the recent change, if the boy does kill himself, 'tempted into committing suicide' has this meaning, while 'tempted to commit' does not. Rothorpe (talk) 21:59, 6 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"To tempt to" is in dictionaries, defined as "to provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice." (wikt:tempt) It does not matter whether you give in or resist temptation. "Tempt into" on the other hand seems to be a colloquialism.
But maybe "tempt" is not a good choice either way. Perhaps "dare" would be better and then it should also be made clear that he does follow through with it. (Although it might be that he assumed the gun wasn't loaded--I don't remember that detail anymore.) --Morn (talk) 23:30, 6 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]