[Vocabulary] It hasn't quite set in yet.

[beachboy]

When it comes to something incredibly good happening in one's life, do "It hasn't quite set in yet" and "The penny hasn't dropped yet" have the same meaning?

 

[emsr2d2]

I've never heard the "set in" version. Whether in relation to something good or bad happening, BrE uses "It hasn't [quite] sunk in yet". No, it doesn't mean the same as "The penny hasn't dropped yet".

The first means that you already know something has happened but you haven't really accepted the true reality of it.
The second means that someone has yet to suddenly realise/understand something that they do not already know.

You wouldn't use the second to refer to yourself.

 

[Yankee]

I've never heard the "set in" version. Whether in relation to something good or bad happening, BrE uses "It hasn't [quite] sunk in yet". No, it doesn't mean the same as "The penny hasn't dropped yet".

The first means that you already know something has happened but you haven't really accepted the true reality of it.
The second means that someone has yet to suddenly realise/understand something that they do not already know.

You wouldn't use the second to refer to yourself.

Yes, but you would hear both "sunk in" and "set in " in AmE.

 

[beachboy]

I've never heard the "set in" version. Whether in relation to something good or bad happening, BrE uses "It hasn't [quite] sunk in yet". No, it doesn't mean the same as "The penny hasn't dropped yet".

The first means that you already know something has happened but you haven't really accepted the true reality of it.
The second means that someone has yet to suddenly realise/understand something that they do not already know.

You wouldn't use the second to refer to yourself.

Can "set in/sunk in" be used in the affirmative? Let's say one week later you finally accepted the true reality of something. Can I say "It has finally set in/sunk in"?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.

 

[GoesStation]

You can say "It has finally sunk in." I've never seen "set in" used that way.