Is this seen as ‘correct’ idiom in the US?

A friend gave me a copy of the US edition of Bill Bryson’s ‘Dictionary of Troublesome Words’. The author, who is a UK journalist goes on tediously and pedantically about words which are often confused (expect & anticipate, for example), and seems to be anally careful about getting things right. But he writes this, without apparently spotting it as an error –

‘However, and as illogical as it may seem….’

This seems to be common US usage, but strikes me as a case of illiteracy arising from lack of familiarity with the language. It seems to me that ‘as as’ is the common idiom for constructing a simile or making a comparison – e.g. ‘as clear as crystal’. While ‘illogical as it may seem’ is an example of a completely different idiom meaning ‘although it may seem illogical’. In this case no comparison is intended, so the construction used for making comparisons is inappropriate. What do you think ? Would ‘as illogical as it may seem’ pass as correct idiom in the US ?

Top 3 Answers

A few days ago

herowithgreeneyesandbluejeans

Favorite Answer

I am impressed when someone answers a question with knowlege, intellect and most of all style. Well done Kitty.

A few days ago

FLTeacher

In the U.S. “as as” is not uncommon. While your question is interesting to me, I am not sure that I agree with your assumption that this is inappropriate because it is NOT being used to make a comparison. The key to this is not the “as as,” I believe it is the “as as it may seem.”

For example, if you were to say “It was as clear as crystal,” you are using a simile comparing clear and crystal.

If you say “As happy as she seemed, she had a troubled past.” You are not comparing her happiness to something, you are showing the dichotomy of her current happiness reflected on her troubled past. It is not the same as a direct comparison.

As I said, this construction is not at all rare or strange in the U.S., however I disagree that it is the same as a simple comparison.

A few days ago

Yes, it is frequently used in different contexts, and has nothing to do with the ‘as as’ construct.

“As intelligent as your question is, it is attempting to compare apples and oranges.”

“As difficult as the answer may be, It is one that I will try to provide.”

“As ignorant as I may be about the rules of English, I still understand that this phrase isn’t an attempt to compare anything.”

Good point … in the U.S., one may either include or leave out the intial “as.” Which brings me to your other point … even though the actual construction of the phrase is “as as,” it isn’t necessary to use the first “as,” which makes it completely different circumstance from the “as as” rule of which you speak. Hence, the apples and oranges reference. It may be phrased in several different ways (as you pointed out), and the initial ‘as’ (being one of the ways) obviously causes some confusion in its inclusion!

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Is this seen as ‘correct’ idiom in the US?

Is this seen as ‘correct’ idiom in the US?

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