"I don't take to that lightly!" [NT]

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Jul 6, 2006, at 5:59 PM, Wilson Gray wrote: [empty message]


4 google webhits for "don't take to that lightly"
2 for "don't take to it lightly"
about a dozen for "don't take lightly to that"
none for "don't take lightly to it"

but of course plenty for
   "don't take to that" [including "that" + N] / "don't take to it"
with no adverbial or one like "(very) much/well" (a high-quantity
adverbial)
   "don't take that/it lightly"

so wilson's example looks like a blend of these two negative idioms/
constructions, with the prepositional complement of the first and the
low-quantity adverbial of the second.

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)

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