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Native speaker trying to parse this idiom, perhaps a bit too logically: “all but literally every X was Y”. I understand what it means, but my brain is breaking
by nanidin 4y ago
Native speaker trying to parse this idiom, perhaps a bit too logically: “all but literally every X was Y”.
I understand what it means, but my brain is breaking in the same way it would when navigating a double/triple negative.
- bigDinosaur 4y agoIt means 'not every' in the technical sense, but otherwise extremely high. 'Literally all' would mean every single cook was Filipino.
- the__alchemist 4y agoI'm a native speaker and couldn't understand it.
- bigDinosaur 4y ago'all but' == 'all except'
- jeffbee 4y agoI admit it is clunky. Nobody expects an English usage examination on HN.
- lb1lf 4y agoNobody expects the English inquisition! Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as fear, surprise and an almost fanatical devotion to Oxford's... (I'll lead myself out)
- jacobolus 4y agoOne of “nearly every,” “almost every,” “practically every,” or “just about every” is the idiomatic phrasing. The word “almost” is also pretty funny though, if you think about it (literally “all most”).
- bobbylarrybobby 4y ago“All but Z” basically means “approaching but not equal to Z”, like the range (-infinity, Z). So when X is “literally every X” it means “approaching “literally every X”, but not quite “literally every X”” Personally I’ve never been a fan of “all but Z” as a phrase — I prefer “[very] nearly Z”.
- bruce343434 4y agoNon native: I always read it as “everything except for z”. I’m trying to build an autocorrect for “all but” into “almost” in my brain.
- kd5bjo 4y agoAs a native speaker, I interpret it the same way as you. The most common usage of this form is probably the idiom “It’s all over but the shouting,” meaning a foregone conclusion that still has some steps to go through before it becomes official. Historically, this phrase comes from electioneering where there is only one viable candidate standing for office: The competition is practically completed, but the actual voting (the ‘shouting’) has not yet occurred to ratify this result.
- wccrawford 4y agoI'm not sure why you're being downvoted for what's probably the best explanation here of how to parse that phrase. It's extra tortured because of the "literally", and the original "all but" is an odd phrase to start with, but in the end I knew exactly what it mean and didn't even blink at it.
- bombcar 4y agoIt's a perfect example of a legal linguistic phrase that causes a PARSE ERROR REDO FROM START.