/lit/ - Literature

>"all but" or any similar use of but

please make more kot threads

>so to speak

>>11784048
>metaphorically

have you seen this cat

>>11784951
We have come to dedicate that field as a final resting place,
>that that
cat may live for future generations

>bob's your uncle

>>11784048
>"etc."
>"indeed"
>"whilst"

>hence
>whilst

>nigger

>interestingly enough
>happenstance
>it so happens that
>that haunts us

>>11784048
>Ser
>The OTHERS

>as such
>inasmuch as
>insofar as

>>11784048
>thereforest
>humphed
>possesseth

>be that as it may

>>11784048
>"as you were"

>etc. etc.

>insofar
>inasmuch

>far be it from me to say

>many a time and oft

>wherewithal

>vis-à-vis

>that is to say

>in actuality

>Now,

>>11787730
this one's been getting my goat lately too

>apropos of nothing

>>11787801
Ugh

>social construct
>power games

>>11784048
>as you do

>>11784048
>or lack thereof

>[sic.]

>>11784577
This phrase always throws me off. Something like "all but useless" makes it sound like you are describing anything BUT useless, but instead it implies that the thing is actually totally useless.

>>11785813
etc is always just used when they can't think of any more examples

>>11790782
Oh but I fucking love that phrase.

>>11790808
No. It implies that it is as close as possible to being totally useless without being completely, totally, unredeemably useless. It is "all" the useless that there can be, right up to (but not quite touching) the standard of total uselessness.

So my underpowered laptop is "all but useless" for image rendering, but nonetheless could do it slowly and painfully while overheating. A small two-door car is "all but useless" for moving house, requiring many trips, but it beats walking with all of your possessions. A spoon is "all but useless" as a digging implement, unless you're trapped in a wacky WWII movie about prisoners digging their way out of a prison camp.

>as it do

>>11791008
I guess but I dont think its communicated very well with the phrase. "all but useless" could just as easily mean "everything, except useless", I understand what you're saying and what the phrase means, I just think its poorly communicated.

>the exception that proves the rule

>had had
>and so ond and so on

>that said

>>11791099
what the fuck does this even mean? i never understood it

>In any case

t. Peterson

>that which

>Well, I would say that...

>>11785837
that feel when 20% of the book is that word

>>11791399
>that being said

>>11784048
>more or less

>>11791437
Really it has two meanings, based on the original meaning of the word 'prove' and the subsequent fucked up meaning because people didn't know what the saying meant.

There is an old Roman legal principle which means something like 'the existence of exceptions proves that the rules normally works' - in the sense of, 'this only strikes us as exceptional precisely because a general rule holds in almost every other case'. A general rule might be that "a woman can't lift a 100kg weight". While this is not true in a binary sense - there are female Olympic athletes who can lift that much - this doesn't invalidate the rule for general cases; if you wish to make a legal argument based on some exception like this, you need to have some good evidence to back it up.

There is another etymology which is probably not accurate but it is a good story on its own. It holds that originally, 'prove' in this saying meant 'test', as in 'put it to the proof'. The term 'bulletproof' did mean that the armourer would make a set of armour and would literally shoot it with a gun to 'prove' it, to test that it would withstand a musket ball - the resulting indentation was a 'proof mark', which you now sometimes see used to mean a quality assurance stamp. You can see that the meanings of 'test' and 'assert the validity of' are bound up with eachother - once something has been put to proof, it is now proven to work.

Despite what wikipedants say, this story really works on a similar principle: "This exception appears to put the general rule to the test, and the behaviour we are seeing is actually a continuation of the general logic of the rule".

What it absolutely does not mean is "the existence of an exception affirms that this is a good rule", which is the sense in which it is often used
> My argument is based on bullshit evidence but don't pay attention to that, pay attention to this old wise-sounding saying which I am choosing to misuse

>>11784048
fuck you that's a great phrase

>>11791008
my problem is that "all but useless" encompasses both what you imply, and also being ideal, perfect for the job, exceptionally convenient, etc..

example: this car is "all but useless" to move this house. thus it could be anything but useless, it could be the polar opposite of useless, or very close to it. the saying does not say much, other than that it is not strictly useless (but perhaps infinitesimally close to being so)

>Much to their chagrin

>>11791604
nice write up, thanks faggot

>and but so

>>11791604
I appreciate the long, effortful write-up. But Im still a bit confused. So "the exception that proves the rule" essentially means that if we are surprised by something, its because in almost every other case, it would not occur?

>Ergo

>>11791648
my understanding is that because it's an exception, it proves the rule is prevailing. It's worded quite shitty. All swans are white, but the exceptional black swan in this case is an exception that proves the rule (of swans being white).

>>11784048
>pseud
>pseudointellectual

>effectively
>in effect
>it is difficult not to...
>I do not wish to...
>to a great extent
>can be found
>took great pains
>it is important to note that
>wildly
>ever more
>still more
>can readily be
>in no way
>viz.
>traffics in
>treats of
>any given
>,then,
>it follows that
>this attests to
>but to say that ___ would
>is shown to be
>always already
>in light of this/these
>by my/his/her lights
>a term of art meaning
>comparitively
>nevertheless
>regardless
>some central features
>or more generally
>and perhaps
>pursuant of/to
>thus

>clearly...
whenever this is used, i get mad.

>>11791604
Thanks for this

>not unlike

>such that

>The

>as if being

How would you write if you were not allowed to use any of the greentexted phrases in this thread?

>>11792875
Very carefully

>>11792875
Well, you just did

>and then
>, but
>; however,
>to wit
>either ... or ...
>to

>akin to

>e

>that said...

>aforementioned

>albeit

>>11784048
>amicable

>>11786257

>the fact is

>>11790794
this one is actually useful. The author clarifies that he’s not the idiot but the one he’s quoting is.

>"sentimental"

Do you guys like ANY words?

>which

>>11790816
Nothing wrong with "etc.", it's a good way to end a list. Leaves a less awkward transition between the list and the next sentence, and also it expresses that the list isn't exhaustive. While maybe the author can't think of any more examples at that moment in time(which often true because who's gonna list more than 3ish for the sake of brevity?), that doesn't mean there aren't more examples out there.

>consequently

>>11791648
the fact that we recognise such a thing as an exception means that the rule must exist.
i.e if women lifting 100kg wasn't rare then you wouldn't be shocked by the exceptional one that did.

>>11785865
im guilty of this

>>11792973
wtf is wrong with that? What else am I supposed to say?

>>11790794
ok you're a retard

>>11793034
previously mentioned/said
aforesaid
as already mentioned earlier

>>11793047
>aforesaid

>>11793047
>previously mentioned/said
over twice as long for no reason
>aforesaid
fucking retarded
>as already mentioned earlier
redundant and much longer

>>11792998
Boipussy, thicc, braphog are all words that I like.

>having said that

>>11792998
'the' is ok

>>11791563

I hate this. Yes of course you would say it, that's why you're saying it in your own book. Just say what you want to say!

>>11792998
Why the fuck would I have an emotional attachment towards certain words?

>hereunto

>>11791708
"It follows that" is perfectly fine.

>>11791648
that fact that its seen as exceptional proves that people must have the understanding of the general rule.

>>11793031
then why not just say its exceptional? or extremely rare?

>frankly....
>clearly...
>to be honest....

What's wrong with these

>>11793252
why do people have attachments to cars if they're just a vehicle to take you from point A to point B?

>>11785813
whilst (and whomst, etc) are indeed meme words.

>>11793710
Brits are a meme

>>11792885
>very carefully

>anon [not short for anonymous]

>>11793776
you mean as in "soon"? That's pretty archaic, I don't think I've ever seen it in anything written in the last century.

>As he
>As she
>As they

>Having said that,

you don't dislike those sentences, but the context they're being used in.

>I grant
>Assuming
>Let it be ...
>For the record
>On a side note
>To conclude

>hands down

>>11793673
caius cosades, i'm jiub

>, although personally,

>akin

>>11784048
It so happens this thing clearly pursuant of that which had had pertained to in so far as happenstance. Be that as it may, whilst interestingly enough as it were, all but metaphorically so to speak. Far be it from me to say many a time and oft, in actuality as you do and so and so on.In any case, that which henceforth much to their chagrin competitively and but so clearly as if being akin to aforementioned thing, albeit amicable. Frankly, the fact is consequently akin the aforesaid happenstance. To conclude, although personally, hereunto said happenstance, having said that very carefully that which had had has transpired of the aforesaid thing, of which said perpetuator said exception proves the rule. On a side note, be that as it may, bobs your uncle

>>11795795
forgot pic

>>11792889
>well,

>>11793034
>mentioned in the foregoing
>mentioned supra

>>11792996
kek'd

>etc./et cetera (spoken, especially if said twice consecutively)
>plus and also (only ever heard my retarded boomer father say this)
>for lack of a better term (even though I say this a lot)
>whence
>additionally
>guess what
>but to his/her/my surprise,
>that said,
>happenstance
>guesstimate
>epitome
>valid point, however
>epic
>supreme

>whereby

>be that as it may

>>11793678
Does this vehicle travel across a line composed of infinitesimally small points?

>whence

>>11792813
Fact that so many

>Whom'st've'nt

>”[Character], for his part,”

>whereas

>In actual fact.

>>11793047
lol you fucking idiot

>Not dissimilar to
I do this

>>11791625
I’m sure when it originated it was prefaced with a bunch of near-synonyms (e.g. “My car is slow, loud, guzzles gas, frequently stalls—all [similarly bad things] but useless.”), but those got dropped and now it’s an idiom and you can stop being dense.

>per se

>>11793663
The point isn’t that thing’s exceptionalness; it’s the unconsciously-accepted ordinariness of all other cases.

>whomsoever

>>11798147
>Not entirely distinct from
is more kino

>quasi

>>11798634
that word is great
it’s “faux” that’s lame

>Thus it follows, that

>not insignificant

>I claim

>with regards to

>>11798936
>In this paper, I will...

>>11798986
In conclusion

>>11798986
>I will not, however,

>>11799081
>If you are looking for [answer to thing], this is not the paper for you.

>>11793091
Patrician
Also don't forget bloatmaxxing

>>11784577
>>11784842
>>11784908
>>11785813
>>11785837
>>11785840
>>11785842
>>11786812
>>11786799
>>11787730
>>11787768
>>11787772
>>11787801
>>11790794
>>11791362
>>11791399
>>11791531

Disgusting.

>>11785833
>>11785840
>>11785865
>>11786257
>>11787557
>>11787723
>>11787654
>>11791563
>>11791634
>>11791708

Patrician.

>>11792852
>>11792813
>>11792761
>>11792046
>>11791723

Disgusting.

>>11792890

Patrician,

>>11792936
>>11792897
>>11792973
>>11792993

Disgusting.

>>11793673

idk

>>11794901
>>11794963

Patrician,

>>11795623

Disgusting.

>>11796548
>>11797853
>>11797969

Patrician.

>>11798349

Absolutely disgusting,

>>11798634

Disgusting.

>>11798901
>>11798936
>>11798949
>>11799081

Absolutely patrician.
>>11799081

This is lit tbqh

>, that first of all, second of all:

>>11799196
all me

>>11799220
>Firstable,

>>11799222

>>11799222
Fick's di.

>>11799196
i don't get it
are you saying the phrase is disgusting/ patrician or the poster is wrong/ right

>Having gotten that out of the way

>tfw use at least half of these in everyday conversation

>>11786257
>>11787557
>>11787768
>>11792761
>>11785837
these are staples in my holier-than-thou vocabulary

>>11791634
based

>solely
>peoples

>>11784048
>A
>The
>But

>>11799316
guilty of these, haha

>dixit

>notwithstanding

>nexus

>>11792875
Use a lot of verbs

>>11799069
what else do I write

>>11803156
Just throw in “ultimately” somewhere halfway through the paragraph.

>>11797921
books still name The

>wheretofore

>>11785842
I'm fine with others (sure beats white walkers) but the ser bullshit can fuck right off

>it goes without saying

>have had

>how [adjective] was that?

>>11787813
Dostoevsky is that you

>hither too

>But. [...]