(1)
| - anything but (= definitely not) vs. "everything but" (= definitely not) |
|
'I will drink anything except tequila' means any other item will serve; I do not drink tequila.
'I will drink everything except tequila' means all other items will serve; I do not drink tequila.
(2)
| - no/nothing less than (=competely, exactly, surely); no/nothing more than (=only, just) |
|
'I drink no less than one litre of milk a day' means that 1 litre is the
minimum quantity; I may drink more, and I may be bragging.
'I will take nothing less than $10 for my used skis' means that $10 is the
minimum price; I'll take more if I can get it.
'He is nothing less than the King of Spain!' means that he is
precisely that monarch, and a respectable position it is.
'And he is rich, no less' means that he is also, to be
complete, a wealthy king.
'He is no more than 20 years old' means that 20 is his
maximum age; he may be younger.
'I have nothing more than the clothes I am wearing' means that my clothes are the
most possessions that I can claim.
'Franklin had no more than a loaf of bread when he entered Philadelphia' means that the bread was his
only possession.
'Don't be frightened-- it is nothing more than a mouse' means that it is
precisely a mouse, nothing greater.
As you can see,
there is a range of meanings, some of which are open to interpretation, so it up to the listener to decide which precisely is meant, within the context.
(3)
| - more often than not (=meaning?) |
|
'More often than not, I get hungry after class' means that at least over 50% of the time, and probably more frequently or maybe even usually, I do so. However, the adverbs of frequency cannot be so easily classified, Wai Wai-- in spite of the attempts some texts make at it. They are slipppery. How often do you brush your teeth? How often do we have Ice Ages? As I result, I do not like to draw little frequency graphs like: never