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SuperESL Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Successor-but-one
Hi,
What does it mean when someone is described as the 'successor-but-one' of another person? What does the '-but-one" do? Thank you.
What does it mean when someone is described as the 'successor-but-one' of another person? What does the '-but-one" do? Thank you.
Top answer
e. the next in line after the immediate successor. "but" means "except", and "one" refers to the immediate successor.
- e.
- the next in line after the immediate successor.
- "but" means "except", and "one" refers to the immediate successor.
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10 Answers
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It means the second in line in the succession; i.e. the next in line after the immediate successor. "but" means "except", and "one" refers to the immediate successor.
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The context you most often see is last but one.
She was the last but one to arrive would mean that one person arrived after her, but everyone else arrived before her.
She was the last but one to arrive would mean that one person arrived after her, but everyone else arrived before her.
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This construction is not widely used in AmE, but the meaning would be understood to imply "next after one" or "other than one." We also use "save one" where save is the preposition form of the word not the verb, meaning "but for" or "other than."
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The context in which I saw the phrase is a statement that says Tony Blair was Margaret Thatcher's successor-but-one. Blair became Prime Minister after John Major, who succeeded Thatcher.
Thank you everyone.
Thank you everyone.
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I suppose I can say 'Prince William is the successor-but-one to the throne, after his father Prince Charles'?
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SuperESLI suppose I can say 'Prince William is the successor-but-one to the throne, after his father Prince Charles'?I suppose it is possible, but the phrase "second in line to the throne" is normally used in this context.
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Assume A holds the position. B will follow A. C will follow B.
ie A B C
successor but one This seems to me an odd, unnatural and unclear phrase.
It's unclear to me whether the 'but one' is intended to work going forward or goin
ie A B C
successor but one This seems to me an odd, unnatural and unclear phrase.
It's unclear to me whether the 'but one' is intended to work going forward or goin
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CliveIs C the successor but one of A?Yes.
CliveOr is B the successor but one of B?This hurts my brain a bitMine too! Did you mistype something?
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I'm thinking of 'the one before the successor'.
I know that's it's an odd thing to consider, but my point is that 'successor but one' is itself an odd phrase that requires some thought to interpret.
Consider another example, where we talk about customers instead of successors.
I know that's it's an odd thing to consider, but my point is that 'successor but one' is itself an odd phrase that requires some thought to interpret.
Consider another example, where we talk about customers instead of successors.
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I think the successor but one is odd, but understandable. There is at least a recognizable order, A, then A's successor, B, then the next in line after him or her, C, and so on. The person in the hat but one is so odd and unnatural that it's hard to say what it would mean. The person in the hat gives no clue to the order you have in mind. It would be more
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