Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite

I found the sentence below in a book I'm reading:

I've all but given up dating because I'm so tired of the pain and humiliation.

What does I've all but mean in this context?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 11 down vote accepted

It means

I've almost but not quite given up dating ...

The All but part suggests the speaker has done everything.

But the expression is used when the speaker can't think of anything further to do, so it might not be literally everything.

share|improve this answer
Yes, "almost, but not quite" was exactly the alternative that sprang to my mind. Famous example: "Now the Jedi are all but extinct." :) – Matt Gibson Jul 18 '11 at 8:28
@pavium @Matt, It makes sense so much, Thanks – yozloy Jul 19 '11 at 6:17
up vote 5 down vote

The relevant part of the sentence is "I've all but given up X". The speaker is saying that he is extremely close to giving up dating because of the "pain and humiliation", but hasn't done so.

share|improve this answer
thanks for letting me knew to extract the relevant part of a sentence, I'll do it next time I post question – yozloy Jul 19 '11 at 6:19

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.