Less is not more. Less is less. If Less was more it would be called more but it's not. It's called less. And the reason for that is because IT'S LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Odd sayings we still use that might not make sense...
- Thread starter Warped9
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Less is not more. Less is less. If Less was more it would be called more but it's not. It's called less. And the reason for that is because IT'S LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe not try and be so literal.
I can't help it. Less is less. There's no other way to be in this case.
Being literal is underrated. 
Sometimes, yes.Being literal is underrated.
Exactly.
But "less of one thing is more of another" is pretty literal, and "less is more" is exactly what you get when you strike the prepositional phrases from the former. And that solves the "mystery" of what the former means.
Think it through. More ingredients doesn't always make the recipe better. More instruments doesn't always make the song better. More words doesn't make the dialog better.
Only when 'less' and 'more' apply to the same resource. In the less is more case, less words are more communication.
Hanging up a phone. A good majority of people these days end a phone call by pressing the End button. Even with landlines, where cordless phones are more common there as well.
C
Captain pl1ngpl0ng
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"like a fish out of water"
to describe that you are doing something new seems excessive.
a fish is not just "uncomfortable" on land, a fish would die if out of water.
to describe that you are doing something new seems excessive.
a fish is not just "uncomfortable" on land, a fish would die if out of water.
"Fish out of water" doesn't mean you're doing something new. It means you are trying something completely foreign to anything you've ever known. It can also mean that you have gone somewhere that is completely unlike anything you've ever known. And to employ another saying, the only way to succeed in the "out of water" environment is to "sink or swim."
If the record were truly broken, as in shattered, it wouldn’t play at all. A scratched record often resulted in the same thing being repeated endlessly.
I wonder how many of those under thirty actually get that saying
There is a documentary by McNeil called “Do You Speak American?”
—which is a real hoot.
My parents came up with some interesting phrases
“That beats a goose a’ gobbling”
“Now whose ass is blackest?”
oh dear...corn pones and Sears catalogs before Charmin...
We had a clown of a governor called Fob James, and a song about him:
I been Fobbed... with a cob...I can’t remember...
—which is a real hoot.
My parents came up with some interesting phrases
“That beats a goose a’ gobbling”
“Now whose ass is blackest?”
oh dear...corn pones and Sears catalogs before Charmin...
We had a clown of a governor called Fob James, and a song about him:
I been Fobbed... with a cob...I can’t remember...
Just one that really (REALLY) bothers me -
"I could care less !"
Yes, you could if I take what you're saying at face value ! You're admitting to caring, not indicating that you don't.
The phrase is actually "I couldn't care less !", meaning I care the absolute minimum possible or not at all. Pretty much "I don't care."
"I could care less !"
Yes, you could if I take what you're saying at face value ! You're admitting to caring, not indicating that you don't.
The phrase is actually "I couldn't care less !", meaning I care the absolute minimum possible or not at all. Pretty much "I don't care."
Ooo, let a non-native speaker join in!
Using literally when meaning actually.
beggar belief/beggar’s belief - very weird. Why not, “it begs belief”?
Also, compared to other languages, English speech references foot/feet and parts theoref way more often than I’ve seen it in other languages. It’s more apparent in novels, where it’s part of descriptive language. Makes me think, why not use legs once in a while (as other languages do). Poor hands nary get a mention by comparison.
Using Man/man to mean Human. Mankind vs. Humanity. Especially annoying when used in syfy settings, like a future Earth government. Makes me think sarcastically, gee, good thing women aren’t part of this.
Particularly in Star Trek novels. You know Klingons, the Groundskeepers, Founders? They don’t mingle with Humans, they only meet humans. Urgh, be consistent, darn it.
Good luck! In my native language, you can wish luck or success, and my maths teacher once explained in detail why success is better. But in English you can only say “Good luck!” or use a stiles phrase like, “I wish you success.”
Using literally when meaning actually.
beggar belief/beggar’s belief - very weird. Why not, “it begs belief”?
Also, compared to other languages, English speech references foot/feet and parts theoref way more often than I’ve seen it in other languages. It’s more apparent in novels, where it’s part of descriptive language. Makes me think, why not use legs once in a while (as other languages do). Poor hands nary get a mention by comparison.
Using Man/man to mean Human. Mankind vs. Humanity. Especially annoying when used in syfy settings, like a future Earth government. Makes me think sarcastically, gee, good thing women aren’t part of this.
Particularly in Star Trek novels. You know Klingons, the Groundskeepers, Founders? They don’t mingle with Humans, they only meet humans. Urgh, be consistent, darn it.
Good luck! In my native language, you can wish luck or success, and my maths teacher once explained in detail why success is better. But in English you can only say “Good luck!” or use a stiles phrase like, “I wish you success.”
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Although it probably isn't used this way much in day-to-day use, "beggar" is legitimately a verb. (So the phrase is actually "it beggars belief", not "beggar's belief".)
You've got me curious about this one, as I'm not really sure what you're referring to. Do you mean novels tend to describe people by their feet, or just general descriptions tend to use feet-based language? I'm not sure I've really seen much of either of those. Do you happen to have any examples?
The whole 'woke' thing drives me up the wall. The only time I use the word is when I speak past tense, like say, "I woke up". Not entirely sure when it started being a thing to use as a descriptor, but I personally prefer saying something is progressive.
“I’m just going to take a quick fifteen minute break.”
A quick fifteen minutes? After you’re break is done you’re going to time travel back 10-14 minutes so your “fifteen minute” break will seem shorter to the rest of us?
Your break will take fifteen minutes and you can’t make it any quicker.
A quick fifteen minutes? After you’re break is done you’re going to time travel back 10-14 minutes so your “fifteen minute” break will seem shorter to the rest of us?
Your break will take fifteen minutes and you can’t make it any quicker.
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