411

[imthinker]

thanks for reading this.i am a freshman here ,i dont know how to use this .but i feel confused for a song lyrics
it is jojo's"numbers",it songs "
The 411 is that you and I are through"--i don't konw what is the meaning of the sentence. especially for 411?


thank you for helping me ~~~

 

[Allen165]

"411" is slang for "information." But I guess that in your example it means "news": the news is that you and I are through (i.e., finished, no longer together).

Do you now understand?

 

[BobK]

"411" is slang for "information." But I guess that in your example it means "news": the news is that you and I are through (i.e., finished, no longer together).

Do you now understand?

Sounds possible ;-) - where did you come across this bit of slang? It's not one I've met.

My first speculation was that it was something to do with HTTP: HTTP Error 411 Length required Explained But it doesn't seem very likely.

Another possibility is that it's one of the number codes used in Chinese text messages. :?: Does '4-1-1' have a 'sound -> meaning' sense?

b

 

[imthinker]

"411" is slang for "information." But I guess that in your example it means "news": the news is that you and I are through (i.e., finished, no longer together).

Do you now understand?

yes ,i think so .thanks very much ,i cant believe that i get the answer in such short time..
and sorry for that i am so fresh here that i even dont know how to reply you .is this can work ??? thanks a lot!!:up:

 

[imthinker]

"411" is slang for "information." But I guess that in your example it means "news": the news is that you and I are through (i.e., finished, no longer together).

Do you now understand?

yes ,i think so .thanks very much ,i cant believe that i get the answer in such short time..
and sorry for that i am so fresh here that i even dont know how to reply you .is this can work ??? thanks a lot!!

ps：if you have any question about chinese ,ask me for feel free , it will be my pleasure to answer!

 

[Allen165]

Sounds possible ;-) - where did you come across this bit of slang? It's not one I've met.

My first speculation was that it was something to do with HTTP: HTTP Error 411 Length required Explained But it doesn't seem very likely.

Another possibility is that it's one of the number codes used in Chinese text messages. :?: Does '4-1-1' have a 'sound -> meaning' sense?

b

I guess I came across it in rap songs. I'd venture to say that most North Americans -- young and old -- would understand "411" to mean "information." Here's some authority:

The Online Slang Dictionary | Definition of 411, the

 

[~Mav~]

My first speculation was that it was something to do with HTTP: HTTP Error 411 Length required Explained But it doesn't seem very likely.

Another possibility is that it's one of the number codes used in Chinese text messages. :?: Does '4-1-1' have a 'sound -> meaning' sense?

b

This might be the origin/explanation of this slang term. :idea:

 

[Ouisch]

Yes, for many years 411 was the number you dialed on the telephone in North America to get "information," or as the phone company called it "directory assistance." "The 411" became a slang phrase to mean "information" (sometimes information in the form of a news flash).

Ex:

"I'm thinking of asking the boss for a raise. I've been with the company for a full year now, and I got a very good performance review."

"Dude, the 411 is that the company has been struggling lately and that they are going to start laying off employees. I don't think this is the best time to ask for more money."

When fax machines, beepers and cell phones became popular the telephone company found that it didn't have enough telephone numbers to assign. So they solved that problem by dividing up large metropolitan areas and giving each section a different area code. (For example, until the late 1980s the area code for all of Southeastern Michigan was 313. Today just the Metro Detroit area has eight different area codes. With so many telephone numbers to keep track of, Directory Assistance also had to be divided and portioned. So 411 no longer works as a general "information" number - usually you must dial area code + 555-1212 to locate a phone number.

 

[BobK]

It used to be 192 in England; now, for reasons partly like Ouisch's and partly commercial, it's many many six-figure codes, the first three of which are 118. None of these codes ever entered the lexicon as meaning 'information'. Years ago (when there were rotary dials on telephones), one could 'Call TIM' to get the time, but that's as close as we get (pretty distant at that ;-))

b