• MajesticElevator@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    3 days ago

    I don’t get why “all but guaranteed” means guaranteed

    English isn’t my first language and the phrasing is so weird. Translating word by word seems to indicate something else

    • scholar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      3 days ago

      You’re technically right: it means ‘everything up to’, so not a full guarantee but the next best thing. In usage it means ‘a guarantee in all but name’.

      • MajesticElevator@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        3 days ago

        Alright! Thanks for the explanation

        Literally translating it would mean the complete opposite in my main language so that’s why I was confused