"meant to have"

[David Sutcliffe]

For me, as a British English speaker, "are meant to have died" is not
noticeably strange at first glance. But I agree, it is strange, on further
reflection.

A parallel (invented) example would be "...people are meant to have been
happier in the old days."

Re this and the seventeenth century "mean", what about "I mean, ..." as a sort
of filler, with some vague meaning of protest or emphasis?


David

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