Colin the MathmoJan 14, 2023

OK, language weirdness question.

Someone recently said:

"I just about caught the train."

Did they catch it or not? Perhaps it depends whether you think of English as (one of) your first language(s).

As always, if you're happy to do so I'd be grateful if you'd boost for reach, and to get beyond my circle of followers.

Thank you!

They caught the train (EN)
24.9%
They missed the train (EN)
46.7%
They caught the train (other)
20.5%
They missed the train (other))
7.9%
Poll ended at .
Show threadrobinhoustonJan 14, 2023
@ColinTheMathmo Is this a “divided by a common language” thing? It seems unambiguous to me that they caught the train, but apparently I'm in a minority of English-speakers with that interpretation. Wondering if there's a UK/US divide.
Show threadAaron WilliamsonJan 14, 2023
@robinhouston @ColinTheMathmo “just about” has always meant “nearly” in my US English speaking world
Show threadrobinhoustonJan 14, 2023
@copiesofcopies I speak British English, so that's consistent with my hypothesis!
Show threadRo ClavertonJan 14, 2023
@robinhouston @copiesofcopies Brit English here. They definitely caught the train. I was surprised to see the poll numbers so high for missing it among English speakers.
Show threadSomersetWhovian 🇺🇦💙Jan 14, 2023
@roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies
Another UK English speaker here. It's a bit of an odd usage, but I'd definitely assume they caught the train.
Show threadHilary DuffieldJan 14, 2023
@ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies
Yes, UK English speaker here - I assume they caught the train too.
It's understatement - they caught the train but it almost felt like they didn't as it was so close/they were so rattled by the experience.
Show threadRowynJan 15, 2023
@_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies in American English, "just about" means "almost" or "nearly", and "almost caught the train" = "it was close but failure". Does "just about" have a different meaning in UK English, or does "almost did [thing]" also mean "it was close and success"?
Show thread🏳️‍⚧️ Siobhán Sarelle

@rowyn @_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies

How about “around about”?

Would it mean before time, after time, or on time?

Does “just” mean before time or on time but not late?

Jan 15, 2023 at 10:44amWeb
Show threadRowynJan 15, 2023
@siobhansarelle @_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies "around about [time]" is "approximately [time]" -- you'd use it if you weren't sure of the time, or if it wasn't important to have an exact time.
Show threadSomersetWhovian 🇺🇦💙Jan 15, 2023
@rowyn @siobhansarelle @_HilaryD_ @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies
Agreed. And "just" to me implies on time, but barely.
Show thread🏳️‍⚧️ Siobhán SarelleJan 16, 2023

@ClaireCopperman @rowyn @_HilaryD_ @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies

Actually yes.

One conversation might be

Person 1: “Did you make it on time?”

Person 2: “Only just”

Which though isn’t strictly in terms of words, clear, it is clear that the answer is positive.