I do not know if this happens in other languages, if not then foreigners
must get very confused.
If some one has had a cold and you ask them how the cold is, if they are
better will probably reply "Fine" whereas the cold is dead. Similarly if
us gardeners are asked how is it with ladybirds, if there are plenty may
reply "Good" (by the way I've never seen as many as there are at the
moment). However if you ask how the greenfly are the reply, if there are
very few about, would also be "Good", odd heh?
--
Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire

On 16/04/2012 12:49, Moonraker wrote:
I do not know if this happens in other languages, if not then foreigners
must get very confused.
If some one has had a cold and you ask them how the cold is, if they are
better will probably reply "Fine" whereas the cold is dead. Similarly if
us gardeners are asked how is it with ladybirds, if there are plenty may
reply "Good" (by the way I've never seen as many as there are at the
moment). However if you ask how the greenfly are the reply, if there are
very few about, would also be "Good", odd heh?



I suspect this is because the question is read/perceived as "How is the
*situation* with your cold/ladybirds/greenfly". In each case, the
answer may rightly be "good".

Alas, we don't always say what we mean. Therefore the response is not
what we always expect.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 4/16/2012 6:42 PM, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-04-16 20:54:22 +0100, "shazzbat"

What gets to me is people who, when asked how they are, reply, "I'm
good".
No you're not good, you're well.

Steve.

Lol! One of my children said that to me and my reply was "I'll be the
judge of that". But when we went to NZ we noticed that a lot of people
used that response.

It's irritatingly common in the US, too.

On 16/04/2012 20:54, shazzbat wrote:

What gets to me is people who, when asked how they are, reply, "I'm good".
No you're not good, you're well.

It's "good" as in "not bad". Language evolves.

--
Phil Cook