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Discussion Groups / ESL Teaching / February 2004bad as they come
Hi, I've thought about this sentence since last night but still haven't figured out or even guessed what it means. It appeared in a conversation like this: A: Bad day? B: Bad as they come. Could anyone explain this? Thank you! >Hi, >I've thought about this sentence since last night but still haven't [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Could anyone explain this? Thank you! A:"Did you have a bad day?" B:"I had a very bad day. As bad as days come." Similar sayings: A:"How was your vacation?" B:"As good as it gets!" A:"Is that child ill behaved?" B:"He's just as bad as he can be!" > Hi, > I've thought about this sentence since last night but still haven't > figured out or even guessed what it means. It appeared in a > conversation like this: > > A: Bad day? This is used in some contexts as a euphemism, such as NASA having a "bad day" after the Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry. > B: Bad as they come. If you were out buying washing machines, you might be told that they "come in four different styles." The expressing in question is using 'come' in a similar manner. '...as they come' is pretty invariant but you can change the initial (the 'bad') to other negative things: "He's as stupid as they come." I don't know about using it positively: "He is good as they come." sounds, I don't know. > Could anyone explain this? Thank you! Bad as they come, worse even. > Could anyone explain this? Thank you! It means it is the worst possible day--no day could ever be worse than this day. It is thus "as bad as they come," i.e., all types of days come along, but none of them is ever worse than this day.  SignatureTranspose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly. A. Someone is asking: Are you having a bad day? B. The worst possible >Hi, >I've thought about this sentence since last night but still haven't [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Could anyone explain this? Thank you! |
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