(vocabulary)
“You cannot underestimate the importance of this legislation…”
Mostly the radio is just noise while I sit -stationary- in the traffic home (an hour and a bit today, thank you). Ocassionaly I catch some intersting snippet of news, but more frequently hear some talking head spout unchallenged nonsense and turn it off in disgust wondering if there are any actual journalists left on Radio 4.
I think the speaker was the LordMayor(Ladymayor) of York or perhaps the Uber-mayor of Yorkshire, and her choice of words really caught my attention. In fact, I actually had to switch it off, in order to replay the sentence in my head.
Cannot…underestimate….? so …..it is not possible…for me to….regard this …too lowly….?
Read it back in my head again. Yes, that what was said.
{put car in gear releases brake move 20 feet stop again….excitement over…}
I know that is not what the speaker meant, but it slips by completely unchallenged. This is so good that I can spend the rest of my miserable commute toying with ways to use this phrase.
“You cannot underestimate how important this is to me….”
“You cannot undersestimate my support for…”
or wait… a twist!
“You could not begin to oversetimate the depth of my feelings on …..”
I once composed an entire song on the road home (it was the steam pudding number), but this blatant use of the double negative is almost as entertaining {inside my head is a very strange place}.
The miles just zoom by and soon I am tens of yards further on in the motorway tailback.
I might get home before bed time, then again, I could have dinner for breakfast before I leave tomorrow. I cannot underestimate what fun my daily travel can be… in the dark… and rain.
Next week on IaDL : Festive! who has time to be festive?
Dalmallyfest the Asylum 