Why do people include "all but" when referring to a certainty?
For example, why should I say "The battle was all but lost" instead of "The battle was lost"? If I included "all but", that implies the battle was not lost, even though it was
2007-08-19 14:23:52 · 9 answers · asked by MateoFalcone 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It means that it hasn't happened yet, but it certainly will. As in, "The battle was still going on, but it was a sure fact that they had lost."
2007-08-19 14:30:26 · answer #1 · answered by Katelyn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"The battle was all but lost" and "The battle was lost" do not mean the same thing. The latter phrase refers to a fact in the past: the battle is over, you lost. The former talks about an ongoing event: the battle is still happening, but, barring a miracle, you are almost certain to lose it.
2007-08-19 21:39:44 · answer #2 · answered by Bethany 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume you're confused about the "double negativity" of "all but".
Another situation where this phenomenon occurs is in the slang saying "there ain't nothing", implying there isn't anything, but literally interpreted would mean there is something.
I'm not sure if "double negativity" is what this is called, I'm translating that from Spanish, where this phenomenon is actually part of the language.
2007-08-19 21:37:35 · answer #3 · answered by Rob 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Adding the "all but" implies that the outcome was only going to change if a miracle happened. For example "The tenis match was all but lost when her opponent sprained her ankle and had to withdraw."
2007-08-19 21:31:29 · answer #4 · answered by elcid812 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, "all but" doesn't mean it was lost. It means it was very nearly lost, but wasn't because of whatever the point of the story is telling you.
"I had all but given up" means "I tried again anyway, and it worked that time" or "I was tired of waiting on you and was about to leave when you arrived."
"all but" means it was close. That's all.
2007-08-19 21:33:56 · answer #5 · answered by open4one 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The event has not quite finished but the outcome is obvious.
2007-08-19 22:51:22 · answer #6 · answered by Han 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when you say all but lost, it is not lost yet, but most likely will be
2007-08-19 21:31:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means "slightly short of, but not quite."
In other words, almost.
2007-08-19 23:10:11 · answer #8 · answered by Bad Kitty! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree - I don't understand that phrase either.
2007-08-19 21:29:27 · answer #9 · answered by j b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋