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"Interesting if pretentious" and the like

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Vibovit

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2006
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
Hello
my question refers to phrases such as
"interesting if pretentious"
"great, if expensive"
etc.

They sound a bit paradoxical to me, but I obviously take them as ellipsis:

"interesting, if pretentious" = "interesting [even] if pretentious"

The question is - do the sentences above mean exactly the same?
Or does skipping "even" alter the meaning somehow.
 
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