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What really grinds your gears?

185 watchers
Jun 2022
7:23pm, 22 Jun 2022
2,876 posts
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Lesley C
Midge bites.

Races that have price increases as they get nearer to the race date.
Jun 2022
8:02am, 24 Jun 2022
9,845 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
“one of the only” as in “X is one of the only Ys in the world”.

That makes no sense. Either X is one of, or the only. They can’t be both.
Jun 2022
8:16am, 24 Jun 2022
760 posts
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Silent Runner
I think only implies scarcity, rather than uniqueness. For example, you could say “There are only 5500 black rhinos left in the wild.” Then a given black rhino would be one of the only (5500) left.

I agree it could sound wrong in other contexts, though.
Jun 2022
8:37am, 24 Jun 2022
9,846 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
I agree SR, you could say “Fred is one of the only 5500 black rhinos in the world” but not “Fred is one of the only black rhinos in the world” - the latter is the gear grinding phrase which I keep hearing (on subjects other than rhinos).
Jun 2022
8:39am, 24 Jun 2022
136,536 posts
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GregP
It's back to 'very unique' and similar.

I believe the old Colchester town signs said "Oldest recorded town" without any clarification whatsoever.
XB
Jun 2022
9:46am, 24 Jun 2022
14,712 posts
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XB
I'm uncomfortable with the "the".

I'd go for “Fred is one of only 5500 black rhinos in the world” rather than “Fred is one of the only 5500 black rhinos in the world”.

Perhaps I'm wrong.
Jun 2022
9:55am, 24 Jun 2022
15,350 posts
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Badger
I agree, XB. Subject to the usual disclaimers that language is what people use, the rules just try to describe it, the traditional usage is that “the only” means something is unique, “only n” means there are n of them and it’s not many; “one of the only” is supplanting “one of the few” and it sets my teeth on edge.
Jun 2022
9:58am, 24 Jun 2022
15,351 posts
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Badger
Thinking about it, only has long had distinct usages implying unique and few.
Jun 2022
9:58am, 24 Jun 2022
761 posts
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Silent Runner
The latter still seems acceptable to me, FDNB - probably because I take it as implying a small number - but I agree that it does sound a little clumsy without the qualification explicitly attached. “One of the few remaining…” might be better, perhaps.

“Very unique” is just plain wrong.
Jun 2022
10:01am, 24 Jun 2022
136,539 posts
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GregP
See also 'most ideal', etc.

I'm a big one for random definite articles. Sorry, not sorry. 'The Springfield Road', 'The Tottenham Hotspur', 'The Asda'. Its an affectation I'm not remotely apologetic about.

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A forum to sound off about what really grinds your gears.
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