3 ms·
The English word great has two distinct senses when describing a quality: 1. One of the best, truly magnificent (Michelangelo was a great artist.) 2. Better t
by tetromino_ 9y ago
The English word great has two distinct senses when describing a quality:
1. One of the best, truly magnificent (Michelangelo was a great artist.)
2. Better than something you would describe as "good". (How are you doing, Bob? - I am doing great, what about you?)
In modern American culture, "good" is often seen as normal and expected. Which means "great" turns into merely better than normal or expected. I think that is the sense in which the word is used in the article.
In some other cultures or languages, the same notion might be described as "not bad".
- saimiam 9y agoFor want of a better description, the American vernacular lends itself to clickbait?
- WorldMaker 9y agoOr perhaps the American vernacular has been long shaped by the advertising and news trends that have lead us to the world of clickbait? For a class project once I was encouraged to skim advertisings from the late part of the 19th Century through the early 20th Century and there certainly is a case to be made that American media have been drowning in hyperbole and fantastic claims for a long time now.