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Why do they say "love fifteen," in tennis?

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@Danny they say both, but they're not equivalent. – Dusty Apr 12 '11 at 17:51
You have had explanations of love. The fifteen may come from a clock and means you have a quarter of the points needed to win the game. Or it may come from positions in the French jeu de paume. – Henry Apr 12 '11 at 23:57
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To a tennis player, love means nothing — as many adoring fans have found, to their sorrow. – MT_Head Jul 6 '12 at 16:16

5 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

"Love" is one of the ways you can read the number "0". So "fifteen love" means "The score is 15-0".

There are many theories about its origin. One is (taken from Wikipedia - but you'll find this anywhere):

The origin of the use of "love" for zero is also disputed. It is possible that it derives from the French expression for "the egg" (l'œuf) because an egg looks like the number zero.

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The l'oeuf explanation is the one I've always heard. It is interesting to note that the French simply use zéro when keeping score, and keep les oeufs in the kitchen. – HaL Apr 12 '11 at 17:56
@HaL: Ahah :D well there was another one which said it was taken from Dutch. – Alenanno Apr 12 '11 at 18:01
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Always heard this explained with "l'oeuf" like everybody else. Tennis goes back a long way in France, originating as something akin to handball in the 12th-13th centuries, and acquiring (roughly) its current form circa 1625 in England. It seems intuitively obvious that the game's terminology would borrow from French and "l'oeuf" maps neatly over our sports term "goose egg" for "zero." (goo.gl/ZBVZg) – The Raven Apr 12 '11 at 18:32
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The French don't use love, but more oddly they don't use deuce (à deux) either. – Henry Apr 12 '11 at 23:51
@Henry strangely enough they don't use the word "tennez" from which "Tennis" derives, they say "Tennis" ;) – Julien Ch. Aug 9 '12 at 12:21
up vote 4 down vote

"Love" means zero. In tennis, the server's score is given first, so "love-fifteen" means the server has no points, the opponent has fifteen.

The score in a tennis game progresses from love to fifteen to thirty to forty to game. If both players achieve forty then it's called a deuce. A player must win a game by two points, so the player who scores the next point is said to have "advantage." If the opposing player scores the next point, they go back to deuce.

It's a quirky scoring procedure. Its roots derive from French, not English, so I feel within my rights to declare ignorance without penalty at this point. :-)

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So it's quirky because it's french? How typically british... ;-) – Jürgen A. Erhard Apr 13 '11 at 0:16
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I'm American. And taking a big chance here with "quirky" when I probably should use "freedom-hating." Will there be a strange click on the line the next time I call a friend? Oh well; worth it. – mfe Apr 13 '11 at 0:39
up vote 4 down vote

In tennis, scoring is a bit...unorthodox. In particular, love is equivalent to 0 points scored in a game, while fifteen actually means you've scored one point.

Love fifteen effectively indicates that the serving player has 0 points, while the receiving player has one.

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+1 for calling it "...unorthodox" (the pause is significant, right?) – Jürgen A. Erhard Apr 13 '11 at 0:17
up vote 3 down vote

According to Oxford,

It seems to have been adapted from the phrase 'to play for love (of the game)' (i.e. to play for nothing). Although the theory is often heard that it represents the French word l'oeuf, meaning 'an egg' (from the resemblance between an egg and a nought) this seems unlikely.

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I find it equally unlikely that they felt that people who actually scored points no longer enjoy playing. I guess this will have to remain a mystery. – T.E.D. Jul 6 '12 at 16:02
up vote 2 down vote

Two theories

1, From l'Ouef - French for egg - the sign for zero score is holding up your thumb and finger in a circle, like an egg

2, Because you are playing for fun or love - rather than a score or money

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