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Naotoshi Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Fill in and fill out

Hi,

Why do "fill in" and "fill out" have similar meanings, even though "in" and "out" are opposite words?

Example: fill in/fill out a questionnaire.
  

Top answer

Why do we chop a tree down and then chop it up? English has many vagaries, and yours is one. 'In' refers to the blank spaces that we must write information in; 'out' means 'completely', as in 'buy out' or 'dry out' and refers to completing the form.

— Mister Micawber

  • Why do we chop a tree down and then chop it up?
  • English has many vagaries, and yours is one.
  • 'In' refers to the blank spaces that we must write information in; 'out' means 'completely', as in 'buy out' or 'dry out' and refers to completing the form.
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4 Answers
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Why do we chop a tree down and then chop it up? English has many vagaries, and yours is one. 'In' refers to the blank spaces that we must write information in; 'out' means 'completely', as in 'buy out' or 'dry out' and refers to completing the form.
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naotoshiWhy do "fill in" and "fill out" have similar meanings, even though "in" and "out" are opposite words?
Example: fill in/fill out a questionnaire.
Heaven only knows why certain meanings have developed for some words and phrases. Fill in and fill out can indeed have exactly the same meaning, but one is more British and the other m
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Thanks, Mister Micawber and Cool Breeze.

"Chop down" and "chop up" seem to be another interesting example.
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naotoshiWhy do "fill in" and "fill out" have similar meanings, even though "in" and "out" are opposite words?
Why indeed.

Why, when we dust furniture, do we remove dust from it, and when we dust crops, we put dust on them?
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