7 ms·

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/speak+for http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/speak+for

• dfc 14y ago
  The link you posted does not "speak for itself." Can you provide some context for why you posted a link to the least authoratative reference site on the internet? Even if it was the OED I'm not sure I would understand your point.
  • webfuel 14y ago
    > David Pogue can speak for himself Translation: "I do not agree with David Pogue" The phrase "speak for" is an idiom and is not meant to be taken literally.
    • dfc 14y ago
      So your link was for the special usage note to the last entry on the page that begins with "sometimes"? Furthermore I have never seen this idiom used when it is preceded by "can."
      • NoPiece 14y ago
        From the OED: "speak for yourself: expressing a desire to dissociate oneself from what another has just said or the assumptions behind it."
        • dfc 14y ago
          That looks like a suprisingly terse entry from the oed. I do not think io have eveer seen such a short entry from the oed. How much did you edit and leave out? How many people put "can" in front of the idiom?
          • NoPiece 14y ago
            In the OED entry for the verb "speak," there is a sub entry for "to speak for." About half of that is devoted to "speak for yourself," which is what I quoted. It is followed by the typical list of examples. There was a Simpsons reincarnation joke that used the phrase: Sideshow Mel: You only live once! Apu: Hey, speak for yourself! http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_9#Miracle_on_Evergreen_Terrace http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Simpsons/Season_9#Miracle_o...
            • dfc 14y ago
              How many of the example entries are preceded by "can?"