Idiom meets literalism

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I noticed this curiosity the other day.One might say, "I was 24 last week". To which a semi-pedant would say "but you're 25 now, are you?"From an idiomatic point of view, it's clear that "was" is being used to mean "became". But if you look a little closer, you could take it to be literally "was".The literalistic side? It states that the very time at which one was exactly 24 years old occurred last week.Can anyone think of any other examples of this kind of phenomenon?Stewart.My e-mail is valid but not my primary mailbox. Please keep replies on on the 'group where everyone may benefit.

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[nq:1]I noticed this curiosity the other day. One might say, "I was 24 last week". To which a semi-pedant would ... exactly 24 years old occurred last week. Can anyone think of any other examples of this kind of phenomenon? Stewart.[/nq]
According to the Elements of Style by William Strunk,Jr and E.B. White: Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's. Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write, Charles's friend
Burns's poems
the witch's malice
Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names in -es and -is, the possessive Jesus', and such forms as 'for conscience' sake', 'for righteousness' sake'.
rod

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I noticed this curiosity the other day. One might say, ... a semi-pedant would say "but you're 25 now, are you?"[/nq]
This idiom exists because (in the real world, not the abstract world of the pedant) no ambiguity arises. If any ambiguity did arise, the idiom would not exist. Because it's so unlikely that someone would tell you how old they were last week, it's been possible for the word "was" to have the meaning "became" without any ambiguity arising. There are many words which have more than one meaning, and usually this is possible - and no ambiguity arises - because the meanings are mutually exclusive.
A good example (which provides many hours of mirth for the mirthless pedant) is "can", used to mean "may". "Can I see you later?" you ask and you ge the oh-so-witty rejoinder, "If you have your eyes open." Again, the word "can" is able to do the job of the word "may" because the literal meaning of "can" makes no sense and thus no real ambiguity arises.
Adrian

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Stewart Gordon:

Adrian Bailey:
[nq:1]This idiom exists because (in the real world, not the abstract world of the pedant) no ambiguity arises.[/nq]
It took me a minute to see what meaning different from the "semi-pedantic" one Stewart could have been intending. Perhaps this idiom is Rightpondian. I *do* sometimes come across "was married" used that way; when this happens I want to correct it to the unambiguous "got married".
Mark Brader > "Of course, the most important part of making the Toronto > proposal something special for both of you is (Email Removed) > addressing it to the right person." Mara Chibnik

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[nq:1]I noticed this curiosity the other day. One might say, "I was 24 last week". To which a semi-pedant would ... being used to mean "became". But if you look a little closer, you could take it to be literally "was".[/nq]
A pedant might say (not that there are any such here) that it's not clear at all what 'was' means here.
As Paul Simon sang 'I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song. I'm twenty-two now but I won't be for long'.
If I was 24 last week, the only thing reasonably certain is that I'm not 23 now. But I could still* be 24 *this week.
If asked in Court 'How old were you last week when the accused accosted you?' you could reply with perfect honesty 'I was 24 last week'. If asked 'When was your most recent birthday and what age had you reached?' then 'I was 24 last week' would, in the context, be a sufficient answer.
John Dean
Oxford

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[nq:1]It took me a minute to see what meaning different from the "semi-pedantic" one Stewart could have been intending. Perhaps ... come across "was married" used that way; when this happens I want to correct it to the unambiguous "got married".[/nq]
Yes, but that's a simple passive rather than an ad-hoc idiom. There's the act of marrying, and the state of being married. But yes, there's still room for ambiguity.
Stewart.

My e-mail is valid but not my primary mailbox. Please keep replies on on the 'group where everyone may benefit.

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[nq:1]I noticed this curiosity the other day. One might say, "I was 24 last week". To which a semi-pedant would ... was exactly 24 years old occurred last week. Can anyone think of any other examples of this kind of phenomenon?[/nq]
Do the buses come pretty regularly here?
No, but they come frequently.

john

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[nq:1]I noticed this curiosity the other day. One might say, "I was 24 last week". To which a semi-pedant would ... being used to mean "became". But if you look a little closer, you could take it to be literally "was".[/nq]
To me "was" means precisely what it says. There was a day last week on which I was exactly 24. I'm now older.
As a personal observation: I'd agree that, grammatically, "I was 24 last week" admits of the possibility that I'm no longer 24 (although it most definitely doesn't preclude the possibility that I'm 24 this week as well - indeed, that's the most probable case). However, the main usage (reference to a birthday) is SO common, in my own experience, that in most contexts I'd assume that anyone using it the other way was doing so deliberately, with intent to deceive.

Cheers - Ian

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[nq:1]Stewart Gordon: Adrian Bailey:[/nq]
[nq:2]This idiom exists because (in the real world, not the abstract world of the pedant) no ambiguity arises.[/nq]
[nq:1]It took me a minute to see what meaning different from the "semi-pedantic" one Stewart could have been intending. Perhaps this idiom isRightpondian. I *do* sometimes come across "was married" used that way; when thishappens I want to correct it to the unambiguous "got married".[/nq]
1. That's not quite the same usage.
2. "Was married" should only be used to mean "got married" when there's no(or, let's say, marginal) ambiguity. Which is 90% of the time. It's clear, for example, at least to me, that "were married" has different meanings in these two sentences:
We were living in Spokane at the time; we were married then. We were living in Spokane at the time; we were married at the First Baptist.

When it's used and there *is* ambiguity, often the speaker will notice this themselves and clarify what they meant.
Adrian

"Although I am from Cleveland and a scientist, I am not necessarily a boring Northern scientist." J.G.

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[nq:1]I noticed this curiosity the other day. One might say, "I was 24 last week". To which a semi-pedant would ... being used to mean "became". But if you look a little closer, you could take it to be literally "was".[/nq]
Hmm... this does sound a little strange to me. Although I wouldn't reject it as unidiomatic, I think it would make me sit up and think. Around here, at least, 'I turned 24 last week.' is perhaps somewhat more usual.

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[nq:1]Do the buses come pretty regularly here? No, but they come frequently.[/nq]
Along the same vein...
The aeroplane will be touching down momentarily. Long enough for me to get off?

Idiom meets literalism

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