as far as

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here are some examples of the redundant sounding locution "as far as
a" in the 1800s. To help perform this quick search I further
specialized the phrase to "useless as far as a". Stylistically, the
phrase "useless as a" could be substituted for "useless as far as a"
though it would shift the connotation, I think.

Perhaps the prevalence of the phrase in newscasts has increased.

Year: 1887
Title: A Text Book of Midwifery
Author: Otto Spiegelberg (Professor of Obstetric Medecine in the
University of Breslau)
Volume: 1
Translator: J. B. Hurry
Note: Translated from German Second Edition
Publisher: The New Sydenham Society

http://books.google.com/books?id=aSYJAAAAIAAJ&q=%22far+as+a%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
The remedies recommended are so numerous and so various, that we can
from this fact alone conclude that they are almost invariably useless,
as far as a permanent cure is concerned.
[End excerpt]


Year: 1893
Title: The Breech-loader and How to Use It
Author: W. W. Greener (William Wellington Greener)
Edition: Second
Quote Page: 56
Publisher: Forest and Stream Publishing Company, New York

[Begin excerpt]
As a matter of fact, the English Government Proof House test, which is
even the most severe of any country, has long been useless as far as a
guarantee of the gun's safety is concerned. Guns and barrels brought
direct from the proof house . . .
[End excerpt]

Garson


On Mon, Sep 8, 2014 at 8:25 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      as far as
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> First there was "is is" = 'is'.'
>
> Now comes "as far as" = 'as.'
>
> CNN: "It was incredibly stupid as far as a business communication."
>
> You can define it also as "for; in terms of being."
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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