Fine tuning?

Ted asks:

Please explain “tinkering and tuning” as in this: “We’re fine. Just needs more tinkering and tuning, that’s all.”

My comments:

Tinkering is easier to understand. The tinker, who seems to have gone extinct in the city, by the way is the man who used to roam neighborhoods doing repairs for you on, say, your cooking pot with a hole. The tinker (noun) tinkers (verb) by filling the hole with some melt metal, hammer it even and hand you back a pot you can use again as of old – or, if you prefer, as if new.

Tuning seems harder to understand, but is similar to tinkering. In fact, tuning is the same as fine tuning.

In the old days, if you tune in (listen) to a radio, you have to dial for the signal by twisting a knob. By moving the knob clockwise or the other way round, you inch your way to the desired broadcast. Once you are, um, in tune (having located the signal), you start doing the “fine tuning”, that is, making finer (tiny) adjustments in order to get the best reception.

In other words, you fine tune (verb) to achieve a fine tune (noun), or the best signal.

In the example from the top sentence, “tinkering” and “tuning” are used together simply because, I think, they rhyme (both words beginning with the letter “t”).

Anyways, you’ve got the picture, or tune. And you can fine tune, of course, not just the radio. You can fine tune a machine or a relationship, anything – by seeking and making small improvements in order to get the best result.

Here are a few media examples of “fine tune” and “fine tuning”:

1. Improving communication: We are also committed to developing technology that can help bridge the communication gaps between various communities around the world. By working together with our global and local partners, we are able to fine-tune our efforts in order to bring new opportunities to people in the developing world. Nokia Life Tools is an example of one such model.

- Our commitment, Nokia.com.

2. The United States will play the Czech Republic on May 25th at a site to be determined and Turkey on May 29th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia as part of their preparations for the 2010 World Cup. The Philadelphia game will be shown live at 2pm on ESPN2.

“We are very pleased to get two quality opponents in the Czech Republic and Turkey in preparation for the World Cup,” US coach Bob Bradley said. “These games will provide a great opportunity to fine tune our plans for the matches in South Africa and test ourselves against some of the better teams in Europe.”

- US Soccer Announces 2010 Send-Off Series, USSoccerPlayers.com, February 17, 2010.

3. Isogawa explored new territory this season by merging his oriental aesthetic with Western lingerie construction.

“A friend took me around the vintage stores in London to look at 1950s lingerie as he thought I should be more aware of a woman’s shape,” Isogawa said.

The result was dresses and jackets that continued to feature his signature Japanese silk prints and jacquards but that were given a little Mad Men va-va-voom through his use of corsetry construction techniques.

“It was an interesting area for me to explore as I have never done this before,” the designer said of the pieces, which nonetheless will require more finetuning.

Rather more successful were the subtle ikat patterned coats and drapey jackets, and some Japanese embroidered tulle tunics that had a timeless appeal. Here he has found his niche, crafting beautiful fabrics in easy shapes for the design-savvy woman who wants under the radar fashion.

- Clothes that offer something different, The Australian, October 12, 2010.

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.