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American Prairie unlocks another 70k acres in Montana

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291 points mooreds | 4 comments | 18 Sep 25 15:47 UTC | HN request time: 1.182s | source
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pixelpoet ◴[18 Sep 25 16:14 UTC] No.45291451[source]▶
> one of the only

That reminds me, I still have to put up the explanation at oneoftheonly.com for why this phrase doesn't make sense and is the new "could care less".

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QuercusMax ◴[18 Sep 25 16:21 UTC] No.45291551[source]▶
Words don't just have a single meaning.

Definition 3 from Merriam-Webster[1] of "only": FEW

I can say "one of the few", or "one of the only", and they both make perfect sense (and have the same meaning). You're being blindly prescriptive without even doing the legwork.

1: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only

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pixelpoet ◴[18 Sep 25 16:29 UTC] No.45291664[source]▶
Yes and I'm sure Webster will also say[1] that literally is a synonym for figuratively, because of how people also like to destroy the meaning of that word, and descriptivists will forcefully (and ironically) prescribe indifference to that.

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally

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1. skylurk ◴[18 Sep 25 17:39 UTC] No.45292596[source]▶
This article claims the idiom predates Merriam-Webster.

https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2020/12/one-of-the-only.html

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2. pixelpoet ◴[18 Sep 25 17:51 UTC] No.45292744[source]▶
I'm likewise aware that using literally to mean figuratively isn't particularly new, but the phrase's existence or age isn't the issue.
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3. skylurk ◴[18 Sep 25 18:08 UTC] No.45292957[source]▶
I respect your commitment to influence the evolution of the language :)
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4. pixelpoet ◴[18 Sep 25 18:34 UTC] No.45293321{3}[source]▶
Heh, I just write too much too readily about unimportant opinions, and a lot of people read sentences longer than a few words as incontrovertible proof of being triggered :D

Also it's difficult not to call out the hypocrisy of descriptivists simultaneously saying that basically anything goes, but my preferred use of language in particular is wrong and I need to listen to what they prescribe :P