[Idiom] I DON'T HALF FANCY YOU

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 24, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Russian Federation
Current Location
United States
"I don't half fancy you."

I heard that sentence on some British show. What does it mean?
 

sunsunmoon

Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Spanish
Home Country
Argentina
Current Location
Japan
Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary
not half

1 : not nearly
▪ He's not half the fool you think he is. = He's not half so foolish as you think he is. [=he is much smarter than you think he is]
▪ an aging baseball player who is not half the hitter he once was [=he is not nearly as good as a hitter as he once was]

2 Brit, informal — used to emphasize a statement or description
▪ She doesn't half swear! [=she swears a lot]
▪ It's not half cold today! [=it is very cold today]
▪ “Is it cold out?” “Not half!” [=yes, it is very cold]


"She doesn't half swear!" means "she swears a lot," so does "I don't half fancy you" mean "I fancy you a lot [I like you a lot]"?
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Yes, sunsunmoon - in BE "I don't half fancy you" means "I fancy you a lot [I like you a lot]".

Rover
 

AlexAD

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Belarus
Current Location
United States
I am not a teacher nor a native speaker.

I agree with sunsunmoon in that there are two options available here.
I don't understand (really!) why Rover excluding 1 in his answer concerning British accent.

To give you an example, here is what I heard from a film made by the famous film maker Guy Ritchi with lots of British actors playing:

'But you've got to hand it to Len because he ain't half a naugty bastard'
Here, I think, they are speaking about Len isn't as bad as you may think.

Thanks, Alex.
 
Last edited:

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
'But you've got to hand it to Len because he ain't half a naugty bastard'
Here, I think, they are speaking about Len isn't as bad as you may think.

On the contrary. Len is a very naughty bastard indeed.

On this rare occasion he has done something commendable.

Think of him as being not half a naughty bastard but a complete one.

Rover
 
Last edited:

AlexAD

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Belarus
Current Location
United States
I think either is possible. It depends on how one feels about the situation.
 

Barb_D

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
I think you need to listen to the native British speaker on this, and accept that "not half" means "quite, very much, a lot." It's not "less than half" in this construction.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
I agree with Rover here- the speaker is very attracted to the person and Len is a real bastard. I too would exclude the first option from both these examples.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top