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"But the scale of the potential impact is mind-concentrating" I've never heard this expression before. Is it common in English? Sounds to me like it is a desce
by dEnigma 9y ago
"But the scale of the potential impact is mind-concentrating"
I've never heard this expression before. Is it common in English? Sounds to me like it is a descendant of "mind bottling" which again is a corruption of "mind boggling".
- qqg3 9y agoMind-blowing. Mind-boggling. These are the only two I think I am familiar with, never heard 'mind-concentrating' before nor does it make much sense.
- _petronius 9y agoI've definitely heard the phrase "concentrates the mind" when describing something so concerning that it takes away attention from other things to be dealt with. It's quite uncommon, though. "Mind-concentrating" makes sense as an adverbial formulation of that phrase.
- jpbutler 9y agoI believe it's a reference to Samuel Johnson's quote: "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."
- dEnigma 9y agoInteresting, hadn't heard about this.
- Angostura 9y agoJust The Economist being a little playful with language. It primes the reader with the connotations of phrases such as 'mind-blowing' but then steps away and uses under-statement. The result is a mildly humorous collision in the reader's mind.