前几天和小女一起刷碗,无意中说起了“pretty sure”这个词组。让她把sure, absolutely sure,和pretty sure排个序,小人儿说:“pretty sure,sure,absolutely sure。”我很奇怪的问,“pretty sure不是应该比sure更sure吗?”她说,“No,pretty sure is not quite sure。”我抱着非常怀疑的态度用力google了一下,urban dictionary中说:
When a piece of shit doesn't know what he's talking about but wants to make it sound like he does without facing penalty of being incorrect. S/he hides behind of veil of faggotry for protection from persecution by his/her peers when it turns out they're wrong by precursoring something they can't guarantee by saying "I'm pretty sure".
"原来这几十年国内国外的全部都用错了?" You, someone else or all of us?
-redneck(Redneck);
2013-3-13(#8098349@0)
I thought "pretty sure" should mean "very sure".
-efsuca(梧桐早凋);
2013-3-13(#8098409@0)
When you believe something to be true but you are not entirely certain then you say you are pretty sure.
-redneck(Redneck);
2013-3-13(#8098467@0)
I'm pretty sure you are right :)
-efsuca(梧桐早凋);
2013-3-13(#8098603@0)
I'm pretty sure that you are not sure. :)
-verano(Summer);
2013-3-13(#8098448@0)
Are you sure?
-efsuca(梧桐早凋);
2013-3-13(#8098484@0)
According to Ann Cook,
-slowdownforrose(Sdfr);
2013-3-13{296}(#8099106@0)
Native speakers make a clear distinction between pretty easily (easily) and pretty easily (a little
difficult).
Question: How did you like the movie? Answer:
1. It was pretty good. (She liked it.)
2. It was pretty good. (She didn't like it much.)