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Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2011
- Member Type
- Retired Academic
- Native Language
- English
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- United States
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- United States
After noticing the constant use of the phrase, "if you will," by political pundits, I began to be annoyed by it, because it seems to me to be an unnecessary phrase that conveys little meaning. To me, it means that the speaker/writer is suggesting that if the listener/reader will concede to or allow certain assumptions, then the statement in question is offered for consideration.
What this implies, to me, is that the statement is not offered as fact but rather as opinion. When I googled the idiom, I was referred to a definition on this site that seemed to suggest another meaning, i.e., that the statement is offered as a "concession" by the speaker/writer, which means something else entirely.
Does anyone have an opinion on the meaning of "if you will"? I would be interested in hearing from you.
What this implies, to me, is that the statement is not offered as fact but rather as opinion. When I googled the idiom, I was referred to a definition on this site that seemed to suggest another meaning, i.e., that the statement is offered as a "concession" by the speaker/writer, which means something else entirely.
Does anyone have an opinion on the meaning of "if you will"? I would be interested in hearing from you.
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