Eggcorn Forum

Discussions about eggcorns and related topics

You are not logged in.

Announcement

Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to if you wish to register.

The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.

Thanks for your understanding.

Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2006-12-01 14:46:46

drshi
Member
Registered: 2006-04-20
Posts: 10

Why we say "at all" (e.g. "I don't like him at all.")

This seemingly nonsensical tack-on has come to mean “not even a little bit,” but in reality has evolved from incorrect inferences regarding the Latin “et al,” meaning “and others.” Nowadays, “et al” is usually limited to formal communication such as a letter addressed to “Chairman Brown, et al”—which signifies that the writer is addressing, not only Chairman Brown, but also all others involved in the issue at hand. Thus, in the past, when someone used this term in conversation, such as, “I don’t like him, et al,” what was meant by this is that the speaker disliked, not only the person in question, but also everyone associated with him in the context at hand. However, those unfamiliar with the term tended to misunderstand it to be “at all” and to somehow mean “not a bit,” judging from the speaker’s tone.

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
PunBB is © 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson
Individual posters retain the copyright to their posts.

RSS feeds: active topicsall new posts