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 threadganxelJan 16, 2023
@rowyn @_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies it depends on the context, which probably explains why do many people interpret it differently. "I'm just about finished" means I'm not finished (but nearly there). Referring to a past event though it can mean the opposite, e.g. "I just about got the paper in before the deadline" means I did get the paper submitted, but with almost no time to spare.
Definitely seems to be a transatlantic component to the different interpretations.
Show threadRowyn

@ganxel @_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies

Yeah, there is at least one person in this thread who said "I'm just about finished" means they're finished but it's not done as well as it could be, so there's some variation on that too.

Jan 16, 2023 at 3:05pmWeb
Show threadganxelJan 16, 2023
@rowyn @_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies good point -- the connotation of hasty/sloppy completion due to running out of time makes a lot of sense. Maybe this is in part how some see the train analogy, like diving in through the door while it's closing.
Speaking of, I'm not sure about in the US, but here we might treat things like departure schedules a bit more lazily.
A few years ago I was waiting for a DART train here in Dublin, but was looking at my phone and didn't notice it arriving, passengers getting on, and the doors closing. I looked up as it started to leave and raised my arms in a "oh wtf" gesture. The driver stopped the train, laughed at me and opened the doors again so I could get on... I figured that it might be an unlikely situation outside Ireland.
Show threadHilary DuffieldJan 16, 2023

@ganxel @rowyn @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies

Amazing story - could only happen in special places.

Show threadRowynJan 17, 2023
@ganxel @_HilaryD_ @ClaireCopperman @roclaverton @robinhouston @copiesofcopies In the USA, it's not uncommon for municipal buses to stop for a passenger who's running late, if they see the person in time. I'm not sure that would happen with a train, but passenger trains are much less common in the USA in general (we don't have the population density of Europe so it's impractical in most of the country.)