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That's not correct. A "dubious distinction" is a distinction which is undesirable. West Virginia has the dubious distinction of being the US state with the lo
by quesera 2y ago
That's not correct.
A "dubious distinction" is a distinction which is undesirable.
West Virginia has the dubious distinction of being the US state with the lowest average educational achievement.
- 00N8 2y agoIMO both usages are correct, although yours is probably more common. 'Dubious' here means something like questionable/uncertain & it can apply either way: The distinction can be 'questionable' in terms of whether it's something to be proud of, or in terms of whether it's even true in the first place.
- quesera 2y agoThe phrase "dubious distinction" only means one thing though. If you parse the words separately, the other meaning is literally correct, but will not match the speaker's intent.
- FabHK 2y agoI had a similar discussion here with someone who thought that "dynamic programming" was the act of programming in some sort of dynamic manner. Not sure I managed to disabuse them of that notion.