[Ads-l] Tough luck!

[Mark Mandel]

That makes sense. Thanks.

MAM


On Sat, Mar 28, 2020, 12:19 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I think the difference in the meaning of "tough luck" hinges on the
> empathetic stance of the speaker. Nowadays, "tough luck" is often employed
> when empathy is absent.
>
> (1) Someone is experiencing adversity, and the speaker is expressing
> schadenfreude.
> (2) Someone is experiencing adversity, and the speaker is indifferent.
> (3) Someone is experiencing adversity, and the speaker is empathetic.
>
> On Fri, Mar 27, 2020 at 6:08 PM Mark Mandel <markamandel at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Why do you single out the 1874 quotation as sarcastic? ISTM that all of
> > them have the same meaning as today: It's a bad outcome/fact/state of
> > affairs, but that's the way it turned out.
> >
> > Mark Mandel
> >
> > On Thu, Mar 26, 2020 at 4:20 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > OED: 1912
> > >
> > > Note that 1874 is sarcastic. which seems to me to be the more common
> > > nuance. (Cf. "Tough!")
>
>

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