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[Arnold Zwicky]

On Oct 17, 2012, at 7:30 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:

> ... We have discussed what for me is an odd substitution (blend?) in a related construction:  "nevertheless" or "never the less" for "much less".  Three examples from my files; the links may have since died.  Do any of you find this a possible use of "nevertheless"/"never the less"?

i don't recall the previous discussion, but my instinct is to see this one as a combo/hybrid (what some would call a "blend", but it's not an inadvertent error in speech production, i think) -- of qualifying "never mind" and qualifying "much less", latching on to 'never the less".

but no, i don't find it a possible use of "nevertheless"/"never the less".

arnold

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