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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Not hardly
Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but
I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help to get its meaning.
hardly is negative, or near negative.
so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?
See the following sentence.
"We got berths for them all?" Morris asked.
Ernest shook his head. "Not hardly. We're packed pretty tight." (p472, T.Clancy)
context: Morris is a new captain, and he is asking if all the new crew could be given the berths of the ship.
question: Ernest replied," Not hardly."
I'm not sure whether he meant that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.
I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help to get its meaning.
hardly is negative, or near negative.
so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?
See the following sentence.
"We got berths for them all?" Morris asked.
Ernest shook his head. "Not hardly. We're packed pretty tight." (p472, T.Clancy)
context: Morris is a new captain, and he is asking if all the new crew could be given the berths of the ship.
question: Ernest replied," Not hardly."
I'm not sure whether he meant that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.
Top answer
(Email Removed) (Masa) wrote on 19 Feb 2004: [nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help to get its meaning. hardly is negative, or near negative. [/nq] No, it's not affirmative.
- (Email Removed) (Masa) wrote on 19 Feb 2004: [nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help to get its meaning.
- hardly is negative, or near negative.
- [/nq] No, it's not affirmative.
- It's a double negative that means "No".
- [nq:1]See the following sentence.
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20 Answers
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(Email Removed) (Masa) wrote on 19 Feb 2004:
[nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help to get its meaning. hardly is negative, or near negative. so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?[/nq]
No, it's not affirmative. It's a double negative that means "No".
[nq:1]See the following sentence. "We got berths for them all?
[nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help to get its meaning. hardly is negative, or near negative. so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?[/nq]
No, it's not affirmative. It's a double negative that means "No".
[nq:1]See the following sentence. "We got berths for them all?
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In our last episode,
(Email Removed), the lovely and talented Masa
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
[nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help ... Ernest replied," Not hardly." I'm not sure whether he meant that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.[/nq]
Evidently "hardly" does not mean, as one might think, with
(Email Removed), the lovely and talented Masa
broadcast on alt.usage.english:
[nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help ... Ernest replied," Not hardly." I'm not sure whether he meant that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.[/nq]
Evidently "hardly" does not mean, as one might think, with
00
[nq:1]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but I haven't found a dictionary that gives me a help ... Ernest replied," Not hardly." I'm not sure whether he meant that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.[/nq]
He means "no", but with more emphasis. "Not hardly" goes beyond the "no" stage to the "not by a long shot" stage.
The Web Bloodhound:
He means "no", but with more emphasis. "Not hardly" goes beyond the "no" stage to the "not by a long shot" stage.
The Web Bloodhound:
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[nq:2]question: Ernest replied," Not hardly." I'm not sure whether he meant that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.[/nq]
[nq:1]Evidently "hardly" does not mean, as one might think, with difficulty but not impossibly. "Hardly" seems to mean "not at all," at least in English-teacher land, for "not hardly" is reckoned a double negative.[/nq]
It's often seen as a one word denial.
[nq:1]Evidently "hardly" does not mean, as one might think, with difficulty but not impossibly. "Hardly" seems to mean "not at all," at least in English-teacher land, for "not hardly" is reckoned a double negative.[/nq]
It's often seen as a one word denial.
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Tony Cooper filted:
[nq:2]hardly is negative, or near negative. so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?[/nq]
[nq:1]He means "no", but with more emphasis. "Not hardly" goes beyond the "no" stage to the "not by a long shot" stage.[/nq]
The connotation I take away from it is "not even a little bit"..r
[nq:2]hardly is negative, or near negative. so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?[/nq]
[nq:1]He means "no", but with more emphasis. "Not hardly" goes beyond the "no" stage to the "not by a long shot" stage.[/nq]
The connotation I take away from it is "not even a little bit"..r
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While it was 2/19/04 12:55 PM throughout the UK, CyberCypher sprinkled little black dots on a white screen, and they fell thus:
[nq:2]hardly is negative, or near negative. so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?[/nq]
[nq:1]No, it's not affirmative. It's a double negative that means "No".[/nq]
In your idiolect, maybe. In standard English, it's a near affirmative.
[nq:2]See t
[nq:2]hardly is negative, or near negative. so, "not hardly" must be affirmative, or is it?[/nq]
[nq:1]No, it's not affirmative. It's a double negative that means "No".[/nq]
In your idiolect, maybe. In standard English, it's a near affirmative.
[nq:2]See t
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Stewart Gordon wrote on 19 Feb 2004:
[nq:2]No, it's not affirmative. It's a double negative that means "No".[/nq]
[nq:1]In your idiolect, maybe. In standard English, it's a near affirmative.[/nq]
I don't know what brand of standard English you speak, but, in the 21st century, only anally afflicted anglophones believe that a double negative equals an affirmative. The OP asked about Ame
[nq:2]No, it's not affirmative. It's a double negative that means "No".[/nq]
[nq:1]In your idiolect, maybe. In standard English, it's a near affirmative.[/nq]
I don't know what brand of standard English you speak, but, in the 21st century, only anally afflicted anglophones believe that a double negative equals an affirmative. The OP asked about Ame
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>
>
I think that "not hardly" is a measurement here,
rather than a double negative.
It is somewhat to the left of the H in:
H
I suggest that the original poster read this as "not even hardly", suggesting that some people will be sleeping in the meeting room or wherever they can.
>
This is true, and does not make sense, so it must be an idiom. (Is it from d
>
I think that "not hardly" is a measurement here,
rather than a double negative.
It is somewhat to the left of the H in:
H
I suggest that the original poster read this as "not even hardly", suggesting that some people will be sleeping in the meeting room or wherever they can.
>
This is true, and does not make sense, so it must be an idiom. (Is it from d
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[nq:2]Not hardly - this phrase I see quite often, but ... that they couldn't at all, or that they could anyway.[/nq]
[nq:1]Evidently "hardly" does not mean, as one might think, with difficulty but not impossibly. "Hardly" seems to mean "not at all," at least in English-teacher land, for "not hardly" is reckoned a double negative.[/nq]
Isn't "not hardly" always just a non-standard version o
[nq:1]Evidently "hardly" does not mean, as one might think, with difficulty but not impossibly. "Hardly" seems to mean "not at all," at least in English-teacher land, for "not hardly" is reckoned a double negative.[/nq]
Isn't "not hardly" always just a non-standard version o
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"
b used to soften a negative 5 : certainly not
usage Hardly in sense 5 is used sometimes with not for emphasis . In sense 4b with a negative verb (as can't, wouldn't, didn't) it does not make a double negative but softens the negative. In "you can't hardly find a red one," the sense is that you can find a red one, but only with difficulty; in "you can't
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