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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007"The easy way"?
About the idiom "the hard way" as in the interesting sentence below, do you also say something like "I have learned the easy way that ..."/"I found out the easy way that ..." to mean the opposite situation, that is when "I have learned/found out 'with ease' or 'with no particular difficulty' that ..."? "I have learned the hard way that it is not what you know but whom you know that matters in this world." > About the idiom "the hard way" as in the interesting sentence > below, do you also say something like "I have learned the easy way [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > "I have learned the hard way that it is not what you know but whom you > know that matters in this world." For example, the easy way to learn to engage the safety on your automatic pistol is to listen to someone tell you to do so. The hard way is to forget to engage it and then shoot yourself in the leg. Easy way: pay attention to advice. Hard way: learn through painful experience. -- Stefano "No matter where you go, there you are. But your luggage is in Chugwater, Wyoming." >>About the idiom "the hard way" as in the interesting sentence >>below, do you also say something like "I have learned the easy way [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Easy way: pay attention to advice. > Hard way: learn through painful experience. Yes, but it's not idiomatic. --Jeff  SignatureThe shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same. --Stendhal Steve MacGregor のメッセージ: > Easy way: pay attention to advice. > Hard way: learn through painful experience. I know what "the easy way"/"the hard way" mean respectively. What I , as a honest Japanese student of English as a foreign laguage, am asking someone who may know better is whether you use "the easy way" to mean just the opposite of the idiomatic adverbial phrase of "the hard way." Your reply does not help me much. Anyhow, sincere thanks for your time. [snip] > I know what "the easy way"/"the hard way" mean respectively. What I , > as a honest Japanese student of English as a foreign laguage, am asking > someone who may know better is whether you use "the easy way" to mean > just the opposite of the idiomatic adverbial phrase of "the hard way." [snip] I do. Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego } Steve MacGregor $B$N%a%C%;!<%8(B: } }> Easy way: pay attention to advice. }> Hard way: learn through painful experience. } } I know what "the easy way"/"the hard way" mean respectively. What I , } as a honest Japanese student of English as a foreign laguage, am asking } someone who may know better is whether you use "the easy way" to mean } just the opposite of the idiomatic adverbial phrase of "the hard way." Not exactly. Neither one is particularly an idiom, so the interpretation just comes down to knowing what the words mean. But the one is news and the other isn't news, so you hear about learning things the hard way, but there's no fame in learning things the easy way, so nobody brags about it. } Your reply does not help me much. Anyhow, sincere thanks for your time. Do[o] itashimashite, or something. Signaturerjv The R J Valentine entity posted thusly: >} Steve MacGregor $B$N%a%C%;!<%8(B: >} [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >the other isn't news, so you hear about learning things the hard way, but >there's no fame in learning things the easy way, so nobody brags about it. "The hard way" is certainly an idiom where I come from (western Canada), and it is a very commonly used expression, in both senses ("I learned <something> the hard way", or "He did <something> the hard way."). I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "I learned it the easy way.", though I have heard "That's doing it the easy way.", usually said when the outcome is as expected, but it happened in some way by accident or without effort on the part of the do-er. >Do[o] itashimashite, or something. Don't touch a moustache! <piggybacking> >> About the idiom "the hard way" as in the interesting sentence >> below, do you also say something like "I have learned the easy way >> that ..."/"I found out the easy way that ..." to mean the >> opposite situation, You could, but it would likely sound humorous to a native speaker, because it's an unorthodox twist on the usual expression. And that can be a good thing! |
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