🌟 What’s Not to Like? Unpacking a Perfect Phrase 🌟
“What’s not to like?” seems like such an innocuous question, but don’t be fooled—it’s carrying a lot of subtext! Originally arising in the second half of the 1900s, this phrase suggests that everything in question is without fault. By the 1970s, it was already a staple.
👀 Seeing the phrase in action:
- In the 1974 cartoon strip Juliet Jones featured in the Lowell Sun, a woman describes a man she finds exemplary with, “He’s brave, handsome, industrious, an enemy of criminals. . . . what’s not to like about such a man?”
- Ironically, a 2009 Newsweek article opposing health-care reform’s headline, “What’s Not to Like? Reform? Why Do We Need Health-Care Reform? Everything Is Just Fine the Way It Is” applies the phrase to something the writer clearly didn’t see as perfect.
📚 Let’s Dive Deeper:
Related and Similar Terms:
- Perfect in every way: Means exactly what it says, close in sentiment but without the irony.
- A model of excellence: Esteeming someone/something highly.
- Flawless/perfect: Straightforward synonyms explaining the perceived lack of faults.
Common Phrases and Idioms:
- Too good to be true: Something so pleasing it’s almost unbelievable.
- Nothing to write home about: Used in a kind of reversed sentiment, stating that something is not impressive.
Humor-filled Quotes:
- “She smiles at everyone — you’d think she was selling something.” — Just the right sarcastic nuance.
- “He’s such a saint, his halo is in the shop for a spit-shine.” – Perfect for a bit of satire.
🎬 In Popular Culture:
- Movies: Amélie (2001) — The main character Amélie herself could be seen as someone believers and skeptics alike ask “What’s not to like?” about.
- Books: The Secret History by Donna Tartt has characters that, on the surface, look flawless but reveal their deeper flaws by the end.
- Songs: “What’s Not to Like?” by Donny Osmond — a classic example of the phrase in action.
🛠 Quiz Time!
### What's the main use of the phrase "What's not to like?"
- [x] To describe something perceived as without fault
- [ ] To detail serious personal dislikes
- [ ] To list the flaws in something
- [ ] To compliment someone obliquely
> **Explanation:** The phrase is often used to gush about something seemingly perfect, although it might sometimes be used sarcastically.
### True or False: The phrase "What's not to like?" can never be used sarcastically.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** It can indeed be used ironically or sarcastically to imply the opposite–that there's plenty "not to like".
### Choose an ironic use of "What's not to like?"
- [ ] Describing somebody rescuing kittens
- [x] Commenting on a dreary bureaucratic meeting
- [ ] Admiring a painting
- [ ] Complementing a chef on great food
> **Explanation:** Used ironically, something mundane or dreary like a bureaucratic meeting would be prime material for the phrase.
Farewell! Deepening our understanding of such nuanced phrases weaves a finer tapestry of communication. Remember, language is as much about how we bend it to our wills as it is about dictionary definitions.
Until next time, keep questioning — What’s not to like about expanding your linguistic horizons?
- Lexi Verbiage
