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Keep your English up to date
Not
Professor David Crystal
In the
Sunday Times
a couple of week's ago, I saw a
usage written down - previously, I'd only heard it in
speech. The headline read: 'Dumb Blondes, Not!' It was an
article about a group of very high-powered women, and
the headline was saying - Dumb blondes, they are not!
Well, you can see what it is, it's an abbreviation to the
word 'not'. It's an unusual usage, putting the 'not' at the
end, instead of in the middle. It's a bit like a tag - you
know - tag questions, and tag statements. It's used to
negate a statement of fact.
But it's more than just a negative. It's actually
emphasising the negative opinion of the speaker. The
speaker is really saying, 'What I've just said is rubbish!'
It's like, 'No way!' or 'I don't think so!'
So it's usually used after an opposite point of view. I
heard somebody say this coming out of a cinema, 'O,
yeah, it was great film, not!' And then I've heard, 'This is a cool website,
not!' And, 'Sure we're ready, not!'
So listen out for it. It's a fashion and it might not last. And if it doesn't,
you can always say, 'That's a cool bit of slang, not!'
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