Joy(as noun) followed by verb+ing
Did you have any joy finding that book you wanted? We tried asking local libraries for information, but got no joy from any of them.
I noticed that the dictionary says that the word in question can take "ing" after it. How is this possible that a noun can take a verb which follows it? Are we supposed to treat "finding" as present participle which modifies the whole sentence? Like in "Did you have any joy (while or in) finding that book you wanted?.What kind of meaning relationship does "finding" in this context have with both "joy" and the sentence?What meaning does "finding" ascribe to the sentence?
Solution 1:
"No joy" is colloquially used to mean something like, "I didn't find what I was looking for."
From 310Pilot at https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070321071046AA5djqj
"Best Answer: The 'No Joy' call (and its opposite, 'Tally-Ho') came into aviation use during the Battle of Britain in WWII, by British fighter pilots. The British were the first to develop and use ground-based radar and controllers to direct fighter intercepts, with ground controlllers radioing headings and altitudes to fighter squadrons to direct them to enemy aircraft formations for interception.
The calls of 'No Joy' and 'Tally-Ho' were taken from English fox hunting jargon (mounted on horseback), meaning, respectively, 'I have not sighted my quarry' and 'I have sighted my quarry and am pursuing.'
Since this was the first use of radar identification and vectoring of aircraft, the terminology was adapted as a de-facto standard throughout the western world. It remains in common use today, even in the civilian aviation world, as it is a succinct method for conveying to a controller whether or not you have sighted the traffic they have called out to you. I use both terms as a SOP [Standard Operating Procedure].
Source(s): I am a long-time pilot, aircraft owner and former FAA ATCS [United States Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control System controller], as well as an aviation history buff. -310Pilot"