It seems I’m not the only one to have this slightly irritate me…
https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/4pyh99/the_opposite_meanings_of_just_about_uk_vs_na/
It sounds like it’s something that may have just evolved in the sports commentary scene over in England.
I think sometimes “just about” is used in a semi-ironic sense. Eg, “That’s just about the best mark I’ve ever seen!” would normally be taken to mean that the speaker thought the mark was one of the best, and quite possibly the very best, mark he had ever seen.
Similarly, if a defender jumps desperately to touch a ball that’s going through for a goal and a commentator thinks he might well have succeeded, he might say, “I think he’s just about touched that!” as he waits for the umpire’s call and the video review, meaning that he thinks the defender probably has touched it. But if after the video review it’s clear that he didn’t touch it, or that the ball was over the line, the comment might be, “Defender X made a desperate lunge and just about touched the ball, but didn’t get it until it was over the line and the goal was scored.”
I have never heard a commentator of any nationality say that a player “just about” kicked a goal or took a catch when it’s clear that the player succeeded and I don’t believe it’s a common usage anywhere.
Keep your ears open for it then Shelton. It happens regularly on English broadcasts. Not for super obvious catches no, but for ones where say he’s had to straddle the boundary rope and catch it. They’re saying it though, knowing he’s caught it legally.
Well I’ve never heard it, but then again I don’t spend my life watching British sports broadcasts. And as you say, others have noticed it. And of course one should never underestimate the capacity of sports commentators to say stupid things.
I know it’s a twist on an old trope, but I did enjoy…
My favourite things are eating my children and not using commas.
It might in a roundabout way, in part explain why Brit sports teams have so performed so poorly in recent years.
Coach: “OK I want you to go out there and just about win….”
There is an “e” in every odd number.
e is irrational, not odd.
Where’s lough?
Defence is spelt with a c, not an s.
And don’t give me that crap about American spelling. They’re wrong (in Australia anyway)
The abomination that is the superfluous apostrophe has now metastasised and is rearing its ugly head in people’s surnames.
I’ve recently seen such odious spelling as Richard’s, Billing’s, Wine’s etc.
You must have missed all those posts about Archie Robert’s.
Looking forward to seeing how Tsata’s plays next year.
It takes effort to add an apostrophe, and you just wonder what’s going through people’s minds to add one.
The type of thing that really gets me is “raining cat’s and dogs” where you wonder what the (language) difference is between the two nouns.
He’s name is a bit hard to spell.
I heard his considering changing it.
Harder to spell than Sheddy, but not as hard as Loyld.
What about Menzies?
