Talk:nearly

not nearly

not nearly is idiomatic enough to deserve an entry. --Backinstadiums (talk) 15:09, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

What about not at all, not by half etc. What is different? Equinox ◑ 17:36, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

@Equinox: it's idiomatic meaning "not at all", indicating not reaching at all the higher end of the hypothetical adverbial scale (as nearly/almost do); e.g. in half a pound of beef is not nearly enough to feed 20 people would not normally be said if it does feed 17-19 people

In such a hypothetical scale, not does not merely negate but "reverses" the position in the hypothetical scale towards the lower end

--Backinstadiums (talk) 18:18, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

Not really. You are not even close to correct about idiomaticity of such phrases. You may have learned something about a use of not. DCDuring (talk) 18:30, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

@DCDuring: is "not nearly enough" the same as "not almost enough"? --Backinstadiums (talk) 18:34, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

Is not close to enough the same as not almost enough? DCDuring (talk) 18:38, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

@DCDuring: I am not a native speaker. Webster's includes it, as does Oxford's and Cambridge's, labled as a locution, which in wiktionary's second meaning reads "The use of a word or phrase in an unusual or specialized way". A serious question that rises is what lexicographic criteria are followed by the three dictionaries to include it then? --Backinstadiums (talk) 18:52, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

I would start with your strong evidence, ie, what other lemmings are doing. It is hard to credit your intuition alone, though you have unearthed things that we - and sometimes other dictionaries too - have missed. DCDuring (talk) 18:58, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

Something that feeds 17 people is nearly enough to feed 20 people, so why would you say the opposite anyway? Equinox ◑ 19:05, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

Idioms not nearly ​much less than; not at all
It's not nearly as hot as last year. There isn't nearly enough time to get there now. --Backinstadiums (talk) 20:26, 25 November 2020 (UTC)

not half as | not half such a​ not nearly: He is not half such a fool as they think. --Backinstadiums (talk) 19:53, 28 November 2020 (UTC)

Similarly, we do have not quite or nowhere near --Backinstadiums (talk) 15:37, 11 August 2021 (UTC)