Grammar question: substitute A for B

[Theoretician]

If a national newspaper editor told you to substitute A for B in a recipe that you've not yet seen, would you expect the original recipe to contain

a) A
b) B
c) could be either

[Emochild]

B

[myownprivateidaho]

B.

[GraceGrape]

I would expect B to be in the original and I would use A as the substitute.

However, I guess it could make sense the other way round too. Sorry, not very helpful!

[CodyKing]

A

A is in - for B which is the new ingredient

[SageYourResoluteOracle]

I would say that the recipe contains B which could be substituted by A (A for B suggests that B is in the recipe but could be swapped with A)

[LumpenMonkee]

B

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

Logically B but it could be both. For example I have a recipe that uses milk and water. Sometimes I use all milk or less water and more milk.

[Dozer]

I don't even understand the question!

[Catsize]

Put a bit of both in?

[Discobabe]

A in original recipe. Substitute it with B.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Hmm in football, the player who is taken off is substituted. And the player who come on instead is the substitute.

Er, I think it could be read either way.

[elQuintoConyo]

What Discobabe said.

I think.

Head hurts.

[BillyNotQuiteNoMates]

Either

[Emochild]

Substitute A for B definitely means B in the original recipe

If it said substitute A with B then it would be A in the original recipe

[Chasing2959]

B you are using A as a substitute for the missing/unavailable B.

[Nomorechickens]

What Emochild said

[FinderofNeedles]

B

[Evergreen17]

B

[SageYourResoluteOracle]

Yup. Emochild's right: the crucial distinction is between the use of for rather than with

[SageYourResoluteOracle]

Why d'ya ask, OP?

[Theoretician]

I vote for B.

That brinks us up to 18 votes, I think. (Up to Sage, then mine in this post.)

• 3 for A
  
• 15 for B
  
• 2 for c

[Theoretician]

Article in the telegraph:-

www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/01/ditch-sausages-for-a-longer-life-say-harvard-scientists/

contains the following sentence:-

Substituting eggs for plant protein also led to a 19 per cent reduction in death risk.

I think that means plant protein is worse than eggs, which is the opposite of what they were trying to say.

[RalphSteadmansEye]

I'm with Emochild, too. Distinction between for and for.

[UncleHerbie]

B

[RalphSteadmansEye]

Hmm. For and with, obviously.