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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary
he's a null as a zero
Can the adjective 'null' be used for people? Can you say of a person that "he's as null as a zero"? I want to convey that someone had no authority even though he should have had. Is 'voiceless' too ambiguous in this context? Maybe there's a great idiom out there for what I want to say. Thanks for the help.
Top answer
It's ambiguous, and sounds like you are saying he's not very smart. Can you not simply say "He has no authority on this issue" or "It's not his decision to make" and be clear?
- It's ambiguous, and sounds like you are saying he's not very smart.
- Can you not simply say "He has no authority on this issue" or "It's not his decision to make" and be clear?
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4 Answers
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It's ambiguous, and sounds like you are saying he's not very smart.
Can you not simply say "He has no authority on this issue" or "It's not his decision to make" and be clear?
Can you not simply say "He has no authority on this issue" or "It's not his decision to make" and be clear?
00
Hi,
If the idea is that he is ineffectual, you might just say that he's 'useless'.
Clive
If the idea is that he is ineffectual, you might just say that he's 'useless'.
Clive
00
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I would have thought that "zero" was too close in meaning to "null" to serve as a simile.
"From hero to zero" is a common phrase in newspapers, magazines, etc.
MrP
"From hero to zero" is a common phrase in newspapers, magazines, etc.
MrP
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