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Newguest Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

Worth diddly squat

Hi

Is it correct to say (meaning that it's worth nothing), e.g.: His songs are worth diddly squat. This car is worth diddly squat. Your book is worth diddly squat.

I very often see: It's not worth diddly squat ....

Or someting "isn't worth diddly squat". I understand that it means that something is worth "something" instead of "nothing"?
  

Top answer

: His songs are worth diddly squat. This car is worth diddly squat. Your book is worth diddly squat.

— Prajwalkr

  • : His songs are worth diddly squat.
  • This car is worth diddly squat.
  • Your book is worth diddly squat.
  • Diddly-squat(US informal) means anything , not nothing .
  • To mean it's worth nothing , you should say: His songs are not worth diddly squat.
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5 Answers
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Hi
NewguestIs it correct to say (meaning that it's worth nothing), e.g.: His songs are worth diddly squat. This car is worth diddly squat. Your book is worth diddly squat.
Diddly-squat(US informal) means anything, not nothing.

To mean it's worth nothing , you should say:
His songs are not worth
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Hi. Thanks for your answer.

This dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diddly-squat says that it means "anything at all".

And doesn't "anything at all" mean "nothing"?

One more link:
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NewguestAnd doesn't "anything at all" mean "nothing"?
No. To use anything as a negative(nothing) you need another negative in the sentence. Like in my sentences, I had added not.
NewguestThis dictionary says that it means "anything at all".
Yes. at all is just used for emphasis.
Newgu
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prajwalkr... while your dictionary references are impressive, "diddly squat" (which is a very common expression in the region where my mother comes from) indeed means nothing, although because of English's rule about double negatives, when preceded by "not," it must take on the meaning "anything."

I could walk up to one of my cousins and ask "What are you up to?" to which he could easi
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And yes, while Merriam-Webster says "anything at all," it comes behind "the least amount," which, in my reckoning, is nothing. Emotion: smile
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