Jul 20, 2006 13:50
18 yrs ago
English term
Mahammad Kalfat (X)
as...as
English
Other
Linguistics
usage
what is the function "as about as" serves here:
"That is why Israel could so plausibly blame the Lebanese government for the seizure of its two soldiers. Yet blaming Lebanon was as about as futile as blaming President Mahmoud Abbas for the earlier capture of an Israeli solder in Gaza. If Islamists act on their own in Palestine, Hizbullah does so even more blatantly in Lebanon. It is a virtual state within a state, with a militia more powerful than the Lebanese army."
?
"That is why Israel could so plausibly blame the Lebanese government for the seizure of its two soldiers. Yet blaming Lebanon was as about as futile as blaming President Mahmoud Abbas for the earlier capture of an Israeli solder in Gaza. If Islamists act on their own in Palestine, Hizbullah does so even more blatantly in Lebanon. It is a virtual state within a state, with a militia more powerful than the Lebanese army."
?
Responses
| 4 +25 | was about as |
RHELLER
|
| 4 +11 | typo |
Alison Jenner
|
| 5 +10 | ERROR |
Tony M
|
| 4 | almost the same as |
Andrey Belousov (X)
|
Responses
+25
3 mins
Selected
was about as
I think it is a typo
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
2 mins
almost the same as
almost the same as
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Angela Dickson (X)
: not really (though this is part of the meaning)
3 mins
|
+11
3 mins
Alison Jenner
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in English
&
English
Switzerland
Financial and life science translation
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK)
Works in: German to English, French to English, English
typo
should be "was about as futile as"
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Tony M
2 mins
|
| agree |
Angela Dickson (X)
3 mins
|
| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
4 mins
|
| agree |
David Hollywood
10 mins
|
| agree |
Clair Pickworth
17 mins
|
| agree |
Peter Shortall
26 mins
|
| agree |
Richard Benham
46 mins
|
| agree |
Will Matter
: Perfectly correct.
1 hr
|
| agree |
Can Altinbay
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Lucica Abil (X)
10 hrs
|
| agree |
NancyLynn
2 days 5 hrs
|
+10
3 mins
ERROR
The first 'as' is a mistake, it shouldn't be there
"...about as futile as..."
"...about as futile as..."
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Angela Dickson (X)
3 mins
|
|
Thanks, Angela!
|
|
| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
5 mins
|
|
Efharisto, Vicky!
|
|
| agree |
David Hollywood
11 mins
|
|
Thanks, David!
|
|
| agree |
Clair Pickworth
17 mins
|
|
Thanks, Clair!
|
|
| agree |
Peter Shortall
26 mins
|
|
Thanks, Peter! :-)
|
|
| agree |
Richard Benham
: Yes, probably the result of sloppy editing, or the author's being unsure whether to write "as futile as" or "about as futile as"....
43 mins
|
|
Thanks, RB! Likely error scenarios, both...
|
|
| agree |
Will Matter
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, W/M!
|
|
| agree |
Can Altinbay
: /Merci. Ca va?
3 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Can! How'ya doin'? :-)
|
|
| agree |
Lucica Abil (X)
10 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Lucia!
|
|
| agree |
fairydustbunny
10 days
|
|
Thanks, FDB!
|
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