"At least" (broadcast journalism)

[Dan Goncharoff]

Sawyer was talking about the reduction in the size of the oil slick. If
it continues, the problem disappears. Unlikely, but possible. "At least"
seems correct.

DanG

On 5/3/2010 7:35 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter<wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "At least" (broadcast journalism)
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> Maybe a momentary reprieve is better than no reprieve at all.
>
> But context and intonation would have made the meaning clear.
>
> JL
>
> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 7:28 PM, Joel S. Berson<Berson at att.net>  wrote:
>
>
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson"<Berson at ATT.NET>
>> Subject:      "At least" (broadcast journalism)
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Diane Sawyer reported on the Gulf oil slick on this evening's ABC
>> news.  She said that its size had decreased somewhat since yesterday,
>> probably meaning only that some oil had sunk to the seabed.  "It
>> seems a momentary reprieve at least."
>>
>> Surely she meant "at most."
>>
>> Joel
>>
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