The title of this post is perhaps an example of litotes [laɪˈtəʊ.tiːz], a figure of speech that uses understatement, particularly double negatives, to make a positive statement [source]. Other examples include:
– I didn’t do too badly in the test
– It’s a bit chilly
– He’s not a bad guitarist
Litotes comes from the Ancient Greek λιτότης (litótēs), from λιτός (litós – simple) via the French litote (litotes, understatement) [source].
The antonym of litotes is hyperbole (overstatement), which comes, via Latin, from the Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolḗ – excess, exaggeration), from ὑπέρ (hupér, -above) and βάλλω (bállō – I throw) [source].
I make some use litotes (that’s an example), as do many British people. Is this common in other countries?
This post was inspired by an episode of The Allusionist, a podcast in which Helen Zaltzman discusses language, words and related topics.
“Not bad” or the even more interesting “not too bad” is a very common response to “How are you?” in the U.S. Pretty sure I’ve heard “nicht schlecht” in German, and pretty sure I’ve never heard “tidak buruk” in Indonesian. I do wonder about other countries.
I think all understatements are used a lot in the US. I find myself using them all the time. I think both American and British people have the same shock when talking to people from other cultures who use more “direct” language.