It's an ill wind

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EyeSeeYou

#534973 Tue, 01 Jul 08 04:34 AM

It's an ill wind (that blows nobody any good):

something that you say which means most bad things that happen have a good result for someone.

That's the explanation to this old saying. My question is how do they reach to the "have a good result for someone" part? Doesn't the wind blow NOBODY any good...?

EyeSeeYou

Joined on Tue, Dec 21 2004

Full Member (190)

CalifJim

#534982 Tue, 01 Jul 08 05:27 AM

It's a matter of tricks of negation.

The wind would have to be truly bad if it did not blow anything good to anybody.

= ... if it did not blow anybody anything good.

= ... if it blew nobody anything good. (not anybody becomes nobody)

A wind that does not blow anybody any good is a wind that blows nobody any good.

A man who does not tell anybody the truth is a man who tells nobody the truth.

A book that does not interest anybody is a book that interests nobody.

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (17,773)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Negations

CalifJim

#534984 Tue, 01 Jul 08 05:35 AM

EyeSeeYou
Doesn't the wind blow NOBODY any good...?

To answer this differently, yes. The wind blows nobody any good if it is a truly ill wind. The statement leaves out the idea of "truly".

An ill wind blows bad things. But suppose that, mixed in with the bad things, there are normally a few good things. But what if the wind is really, really an ill wind? Then it would have no good things mixed in with the bad.

So the statement says: It would have to be a really, really ill wind if it blew no good to anybody.

More clear now?

CalifJim

EyeSeeYou

#535210 Tue, 01 Jul 08 04:50 PM

Hi, CalifJim.

Why do you assume if it's "truly" an ill wind? Did this idiom stem from another one? I mena, if you add that adverb there, it makes sense. Otherwise, if I just take the saying as it is, I interpret it as "an ill wind will not blow anybody any good", there's no room for some good things for some people.

I still find it tricky.

EyeSeeYou

Idioms, Verbs, Adverbs