Mark Brader:
>>>> At least two people in this thread have used the phrase "failure
>>>> to ask".  This is a bad wording, because it implies that asking
>>>> is required...

>> "Failure", definition 1a at m-w.com: "omission of occurrence or
>> performance; specifically : a failing to perform a duty or expected
>> action".
 
Barry Margolin:
> And in this case, it's an "expected" action that I think is being 
> referenced, not a "required" one.
 
Now that you point that out, I'd say that that part of the definition
I quoted is too weak.  To take a non-bridge example, consider someone
who finds a small sum of money on the ground.  Most people would pick
it up and keep it -- that's what you expect.  But if someone picks it
up and turns it in to the police, you wouldn't say that they "failed"
to keep it.  The word "failure" only applies if the action is expected
*because of some sort of requirement*, I'd say.

(It needn't be an absolute requirement, though, so I was overstating
my case to that exact.)
-- 
Mark Brader | "Canadians do not exclaim.  The exclamation point is
Toronto     |  removed from our word-processing programs at the border
msb_at_vex.net |  and sold back to the Americans for scrap."  --Matthew Hart

My text in this article is in the public domain.