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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010besides everything
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." (P. Cornwell) Is this the same as "Besides everything else." ? By just "everything", something wrong that has's been qeustioned by "the speaker" should be included in that "everything", But the speaker uses the word of "besides". "Beasides" means that what makes him wrong is to be removed from "everything", logically. It's unlogical to remove something from everything. So I thought that this "Besides everything" was a simliar expression of "Besides everything else" in meaning , or at least the speaker meant it. > "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." > (P. Cornwell) This is a sarcastic remark: He means: _Everything_ is wrong to me (in this situation, etc). Adding something to "everything" (with "besides" or other constructs) is insignificant. You can pile up on it, it stays the same:-) Marius Hancu > > "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." > > (P. Cornwell) [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > He means: > _Everything_ is wrong to me (in this situation, etc). Or, better: _Everything_ seems wrong to me (in this situation, etc). > Adding something to "everything" (with "besides" or other constructs) > is insignificant. You can pile up on it, just as on "all," it stays the same:-) > > > "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." > > > (P. Cornwell) [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > - Show quoted text - I believe you did not understand, or at least, you did not answer, Masa's question. Notwithstanding the sarcasm, as Masa pointed out, "besides everything" seems illogical if it's not followed by "else" because plain "everything" is all inclusive, including the "what's wrong". >> > > "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." >> > > (P. Cornwell) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> Or, better: >> _Everything_ seems wrong to me (in this situation, etc). >> > Adding something to "everything" (with "besides" or other >> > constructs) [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > seems illogical if it's not followed by "else" because plain > "everything" is all inclusive, including the "what's wrong". Well, I would find the "else" extraneous and redundant. I am not sure which novel is being quoted from, but Dr Kay Scarpetta has a slangy, casual and impatient relationship with Policeman Pete and Immature Niece Lucy, either of whom could have been bitching to her about "My Life" and how it's all screwed up. "Why doesn't anybody understand me? Why does everything go wrong?" Oh, the quotation might have been: "What's wrong now?" or "What now?" or the group leader in a counseling session might say "Talk to me." >> "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." >> (P. Cornwell) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Adding something to "everything" (with "besides" or other constructs) > is insignificant. You can pile up on it, it stays the same:-) It's not a very unusual conversational device. And it puts me in mind of Mme Bollinger, who, apparently, said she never drank Champagne except all the time and on special occasions (or words to that effect).  SignatureMike. Mike wrote on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:51:22 -0000: >>> "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." >>> (P. Cornwell) [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > drank Champagne except all the time and on special occasions > (or words to that effect). There are a lot of versions of Mme Bollinger's dictum. The one I like is I drink when Im happy and when I am sad, sometimes I drink when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if Im not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it ... unless Im thirsty. SignatureJames Silverton Potomac, Maryland Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not > There are a lot of versions of Mme Bollinger's dictum. The one I like > is “I drink when I’m happy and when I am sad, sometimes I drink when I > am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with > it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch > it ... unless I’m thirsty.” Henry Aldrich said much the same a little earlier: If all be true that I do think There are five reasons we should drink. Good wine - a friend - or being dry - Or lest we should be by and by - Or any other reason why! SignatureOnline waterways route planner | http://canalplan.eu Plan trips, see photos, check facilities | http://canalplan.org.uk >Henry Aldrich said much the same a little earlier: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Or lest we should be by and by - >Or any other reason why! and Purcell set it to music, as a round. Works very well. Katy >>Henry Aldrich said much the same a little earlier: >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >and Purcell set it to music, as a round. Works very well. Speaking of music, I listened for the first time to "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" by Joni Mitchell this morning, from a batch of her CDs that arrived yesterday from www.amazon.co.uk. Enjoyable, but not her best, IMO. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs, An American who lives near Dublin, Ireland and usually spells in BrE > >In article <87eilvgl1m....@temporary-address.org.uk>, > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > that arrived yesterday fromwww.amazon.co.uk. Enjoyable, but not her > best, IMO. Second Joni reference in two days on AUE! As a Big Fan, I was very, very disappointed by the CD I bought several years (perhaps a decade?) ago to replace my vinyl. It had been "digitally remastered" -- by some kid who must have been a specialist in hip-hop or something. Recognizable, yes: but the same music? Not at all. Mastering is an art, and not staying true to the original is, alas, easy. Lucky I had started with a single CD, not the whole set. I digitized my vinyl before finally tossing my turntable and giving it all away. Jim Deutch (JimboCat) -- "An unexpected error has occured: the process completed successfully." [Windows, of course] >> >In article <87eilvgl1m....@temporary-address.org.uk>, >> [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >I digitized my vinyl before finally tossing my turntable and giving it >all away. I don't remember the exact wording and I don't have easy access to "Hissing" just now to quote it verbatim, but a notice on the CD's jeweled case warns that remastering altered the sound quality. I appreciate someone's honesty. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs, An American who lives near Dublin, Ireland and usually spells in BrE > "What's wrong?" I asked. "Besides everything." > (P. Cornwell) [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > of "Besides everything else" > in meaning , or at least the speaker meant it. You're right that it's illogical, but it's normal American colloquial speech. The speaker expects the listener to answer "What's wrong?" with "Everything." (That answer would be an exaggeration meaning that several things are going wrong, probably with little hope that they'll get better.) But that's not the information the speaker wants. So the question could be rephrased as, "What's wrong? And I know you're going to say, 'Everything,' but I want to skip that and get to the specific problem you want to talk about." (Probably there's some context, such as the listener's starting a conversation with the speaker, that leads the speaker to believe that the listener wants to talk about something specific.) -- Jerry Friedman |
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