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> I can't remember the last time a bicycle did it (and in the few cases I saw it...
by skelsey 13y ago
> I can't remember the last time a bicycle did it (and in the few cases I saw it...
- hetman 13y agoIndeed, the last time I saw it was so long ago I can't remember when it was. The phrase "I can't remember the last time..." is idiomatic usage in my dialect of English for: "This has occurred to me in the very distant past."
- mikeash 13y agoHow odd. When I use that phrase, I mean it literally.
- hetman 13y agoYou must speak some mythical human language that makes sense :P
- mikeash 13y agoNo way! Honestly, I'd be interested in knowing which of us is using it in the "normal" fashion. I really don't know. Or perhaps we both are and it depends on the region.
- simcop2387 13y agoNo time like the present to present the present English that people speak :).
- hetman 13y agoYeah, it probably depends on a lot of factors, including social sub-cultures within dialects. To me using "I can't remember the last time X" to mean "I actually can't remember X happening" still sounds incredibly weird. Is that what you mean by the literal meaning? To say the latter in conversation I would usually say "I can't actually remember X happening". I think "I cant remember the last time..." is roughly a shorthand for "I can't remember when the last time was that..." but who can be bothered actually saying all those words :P
- mikeash 13y agoYep, that's pretty much what I mean. I'm not sure whether or not I've ever seen a car run a red light in person (aside from the all-too-common squeaking through yellows), but in any case I can't remember any specific instance.
- jackmaney 13y agoI've never understood that phrase to mean anything other than its literal meaning.