3 ms·
>in what's becoming a not-uncommon move. Or as Orwell put it: "A not unblack dog was chasing a not unsmall rabbit across a not ungreen field."
by RyanMcGreal 17y ago
>in what's becoming a not-uncommon move.
Or as Orwell put it: "A not unblack dog was chasing a not unsmall rabbit across a not ungreen field."
- telemachos 17y agoLitotes: my favorite figure of speech. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litotes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litotes
- DanielBMarkham 17y agoMine too. And when combined with a thinly veiled insult, gives the wonderful "back-handed compliment" "He's not as unintelligent as he looks" "She's not the liar she might have been given her poor upbringing"
- ableal 17y ago> my favorite figure of speech my not-unpreferred figure of speech, please. If you want to make it not unpossible to believe you. (Thanks, really; I've developed a belated soft spot for rhetorical devices.)
- balding_n_tired 17y agoThe war situation has developed not necessarily to MySQL's advantage.
- santry 17y agoUnlike the litotes in your Orwell quote, "not uncommon" and "common" mean different things.
- ryanwaggoner 17y agoNamely? And based on what?
- jemfinch 17y agoIf there is an axis of "commonness" upon which things can be measured, with "never happens" on the left side, and "always happens" on the right side, then "uncommon" would be a small section on the left, and "common" would be a small section on the right; everything between these sections could be "not uncommon."