>He's all but [...]
Is this the most retarded english expression ? I doesn't make any sense, it means the opposite of what it should
FINALLY
i absolutely can't wrap my head around it
I agree. Anglos usually do this anyways, it's like they listen something and they add a random meaning to it.
explain yourselves angloshits
>>57274642
yeah like "by the skin of my teeth" as in "barely managed it"
the fuck is that, what skin?
why?
what the fuck
If i say hes all but smart it means hes dumb, no?
>>57274854
no it means that he's smart
>>57273602
>>57274521
>>57274642
>>57274744
>>57274786
are you all retarded
>>57274854
Yes. It means "He's everything with the exception of smart
>a frog doesn't understand elementary set theory
how the mighty have fallen
Consider the set {A,B,C,D}
"all but A" is {B,C,D}
>>57274912
no seriously it really means that he's smart
>>57274854
i sometimes use hes anything but smart.
>>57274980
Stop trying.
>>57274980
Then it makes sense
>>57275016
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/51597/all-but-convinced-as-a-way-of-saying-that-one-is-in-fact-convinced
i'm not joking
>>57274912
>>57274961
That's what you'd intuitively think it means but especially in more antiquated literature, it's used idiomatically to mean something like "almost".
I feel like it must have meant the opposite originally but then people started mixing it up. Like when someone says 'he's all but dead" I would expect it to mean he's everything except dead. But what they actually mean is that he's almost dead, wut
>>57275032
Hmm so
all but = almost
anything but = not at all
>>57275312
i think so
>>57275220
And I mean the same has happened with 'couldn't care less' since people now tend to say 'could care less' which of course doesn't mean quite the same thing but they don't seem to mind
>>57275401
blame the Clapistanis for "could care less"
>>57274854
no. It means he's almost smart.
THANKS ANGLOS
euros are correct, so are americans
"he's all but a genius" means he is really smart but not quite a genius
"he is all but smart" means he is everything except smart
not having an article before the focus word makes the difference
>>57275848
>english "''''''language''''''"
>>57273602
>Il est tout sauf -insérer adjectif-
Man we litteraly have the same expression
It's literally the same as saying very nearly, think of it in terms of fulfilling sufficient qualities, in which case very nearly e.g. (4/5) = all but (4/5).
>>57275848
>"he's all but a genius" means he is really smart but not quite a genius
>"he is all but smart" means he is everything except smart
Hmm..
>>57276098
also that's the most common expression but it can be used for the opposite meaning for derision as seen >>57275848
>the same letters have different pronunciations depending on the context
>illogical sentences like this thread shows
>ebonics
and they say english is beautiful...
While we're doing this, another phrase is "each to his own" which, if I try to break it down literally, means that everyone keeps to their own preferences. But a lot of times people say "to each his own" which in that order basically means that everyone should be given their own stuff
>>57276247
I went on exchange to Italy and was told that simple expressions like hello - how are you etc were completely changed in the multitude of dialects you have, if so, it's literally the same.
This too
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/not-half
I understand the British meaning, but apparently "not half bad" can also mean good (and not just not half-, but fully bad)
>>57276377
dialects are fucked up, but at least they're not official langauges
>>57276421
Not a half bad-post, frankly.
>>57276347
Each to his own opinions.
>>57276129
he's relying on english intonations in those cases to make his point
>>57276247
>they say english is beautiful
literally no one has ever said this in the history of ever
>>57276347
The meaning's not direct anon, in the first one the direct meaning is the person being given to their own stuff.
>>57276205
I only hear it used in the context of sports. 'he's all but won this fight' or 'they've all but won the title'.
Shit like this is good, who wants to have some bland single expression monolanguage. Hopefully over time all the separate dialects of english develop tangentially.
>>57276557
Oh yeah you have a point, but here's a flowchart of what is happening in the phrases
>>57276247
English is never beautiful, it's used for international language because of UK and USA.
>>57276915
this
basically dutch without the throat cancer, no one likes the language
>>57276803
The meaning of this case isn't 'to' as in to be given to but 'to' as in but 'to' as in 'in regards to' or as 'perceived by'.
Or if you want to justify the direct meaning it means everyone is entitled to their own preferences / moral holdings.
>>57274744
there were some people talking about reporting you, glad im not the only one tired of your stupid ISIShit posting.
>I could care less
No, you could NOT care less dumb burger
get memed
I love English
>>57277537
that phrase is all but half bad
>>57277319
>Getting this triggered by a mere jpg
i was reported by angry cumskins months ago
but since i dinduh anything wrong :')..
>I don't see nothing = I see nothing
>>57277949
I don't see nothing means you see something tho
>>57277998
>>57277949
>implying
>>57277998
*bzzzzzzz*
Wrong
>>57277949
That's ebonics
>>57278105
holy fuck we need to end the southern dialect wtf is this
>>57277998
It's a double negative (bad grammar, but colloquially used anyway, and frowned upon by people with GCSEs)
"i don't see nuffin" means I see nothing.
>>57273602
>He is EVERYTHING but X
What's confusing about this?
>He's everything but smart = he's literally everything BUT smart = he's dumb
>>57278105
I'm talking about what it is supposed to mean, not what some inbreds think it means
>>57277949
Only dumb as fuck black people say that verbal trash and it pains my brain every time I hear it
>>57278242
Because people don't use it that way
>>57278296
Southern whites used to say it in the 1800s. That's probably where blacks got it from.
Idk about this case, I'm just absolutely baffled by how Americans changed the phrase "i couldn't care less" into "i could care less". are Americans retarded?
>>57274854
In Dutch we say "hij is alles behalve slim" which is literally exactly the same expression and it means he's dumb so I'm assuming it's the same in english.
>>57274908
In the saying it means you are the set of all adjectives except for smart. Which is calling someone dumb.
>>57278503
Wrong, double negatives don't exist is languages like Akan and Wolof, therefore using one for a non native speaker doesn't really matter much to them. Sentence structure was assimilated from those languages into their version of English too. If anything Southern whites got it from them.
t. Southern white
>I can't get a word in edgewise
what the fuck
>>57273602
>>57274521
>>57274642
>>57274744
It makes perfect sense, you fucking foreigners.
>>57274786
There is no skin on your teeth. This means that you made it by a margin so thin, that it effectively doesn't exist.
>>57278944
whats wrong with that
The most retarded thing is the English R.
It's pronounced like W, so they don't need a R in the first place. Just use W evewywhere.
>>57279152
>There is no skin on your teeth
There's the skin of ur mom though
>>57279275
no its not you idiot
>>57279275
>>57279367
Yes it is. Don't fowce me to post a Vocawoo.
>>57278944
Suppose you need to cut an apple. Do you use the knife's edge or do you use its face? If your mental faculties haven't completely deserted you, you stick the knife in edgewise, as I have in this post.
If you can't even get the knife in edgewise, it means you're finding it very difficult to cut an apple. Or you're trying to cut the cutting board.
>>57279434
go ahead
