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Old 11-Jul-2007, 10:09
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Default I have two things to ask.

What does "for what it's worth" means?

I think it has too many diverse meanings..

I can't make it out of it.

I would appreciate if you could elaborate on that one with certain amount of 'as in's and situations, thanks...

And, what does "whatever gets you through tonight" means?

Does it mean something like, "As long as nothing bad happens with you, I won't care, even though it gets me mad"?

Thanks.
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Old 11-Jul-2007, 10:43
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Default Re: I have two things to ask.

Hmmm...

For what it's worth.

I think when you say 'for what it's worth', you feel that what you have to say may not make much difference, or in fact is not worth very much, but you are going to give your opinion anyway.

e.g.

Context: Someone wants to buy a new house but can barely afford it.

Speaker A: 'I want to buy that house. I made an offer of £180,000, but I'm not sure I can afford the mortgage'
Speaker B: 'For what it's worth, I think your offer was too high. You should have offered £175,000'
Speaker A: 'It's too late now'.

Context: Someone has just broken up with their partner.
A: 'I broke up with Steve'
B: 'That's a shame. Why?'
A: 'He was cheating on me'
B: 'For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing'

Not sure about the second thing: 'whatever gets you through tonight'. To me it sounds like someone has to attend a social event they're not looking forward to, and 'whatever gets you through tonight' would be the thing that helps you to cope with it. For instance, drinking a lot of alcohol would 'get you through the night'.
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Old 11-Jul-2007, 21:50
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Default Re: I have two things to ask.

"Whatever gets you through the night" is basically a different way of saying "different strokes for different folks" or "to each his own."

For example, perhaps you and I are having dinner. You proceed to pour mayonnaise on your French fries (or "chips"), and notice my face crinkled up in disgust.

"Don't you put mayo on your fries?" you ask.
"No," I reply, "I usually just add a little salt, maybe some ketchup. But, hey, whatever gets you throught the night...." Meaning I would never do it, but if it's something you enjoy, then go ahead and do it.
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Old 12-Jul-2007, 00:12
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Default Re: I have two things to ask.

To me, the phrase,"Whatever gets you through the night," means, "Do what you have to do to cope with the loss of someone or something you love." This could mean finding another lover, drinking to excess, or just watching old movies on TV.

It is also the title of a song by John Lennon, although the lyrics are rather cryptic.
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