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i am curious like anything

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Idéfix
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Post by Captain Bhankas Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:58 am

does anyone know the origins of what i think is a desi expression: "like anything"? for example, a desi says, "i am sweating like anything" or "he was shouting like anything". the closest a non-desi has come to using an expression such as this was when a commentator said "the ball is traveling as fast as anything you'll ever see". but that's not what desis say.
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Post by Merlot Daruwala Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:10 am

Nothing desi abt it. The dictionary defines it as "to an exceeding degree."

"Anything" was probably a genteel substitute for some swear word. Today's kids are more likely to say: i am sweating like shit.
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Post by Captain Bhankas Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:14 am

thanks, MD. i was curious because i have never heard a non-desi use that expression.
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Post by Kris Wed May 01, 2013 2:40 am

Captain Bhankas wrote:thanks, MD. i was curious because i have never heard a non-desi use that expression.

>>>This is just a guess..maybe an expression the brits used back in the day and the usage stuck in india, but didn't in other places.

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Post by Guest Thu May 02, 2013 7:12 pm

I was thinking that only!

tongue

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Post by Idéfix Fri May 03, 2013 1:40 am

Lewis Carroll wrote this in the 19th century.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

Many peculiar forms of Indian English usage were once popular in England, and were adopted by Indians who wanted to appear knowledgeable / fashionable by using the latest terms from London. While the British stopped using those phrases and moved on to others, Indian English teachers religiously taught their students those turns of phrase, and insisted that their students write them 100 times in order to get them right.
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Post by Merlot Daruwala Fri May 03, 2013 1:54 am

Idéfix wrote:Many peculiar forms of Indian English usage were once popular in England, and were adopted by Indians who wanted to appear knowledgeable / fashionable by using the latest terms from London. While the British stopped using those phrases and moved on to others, Indian English teachers religiously taught their students those turns of phrase, and insisted that their students write them 100 times in order to get them right.

lol!
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Post by Captain Bhankas Fri May 03, 2013 6:17 am

Idéfix wrote:Many peculiar forms of Indian English usage were once popular in England, and were adopted by Indians who wanted to appear knowledgeable / fashionable by using the latest terms from London. While the British stopped using those phrases and moved on to others, Indian English teachers religiously taught their students those turns of phrase, and insisted that their students write them 100 times in order to get them right.

hahaha
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Post by Merlot Daruwala Fri May 03, 2013 7:07 am

Another example of this is "I say". Eg: "Where is Venkat, I say?"

The only place you can see non-desis say that is in PG Wodehouse novels.
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Post by Hellsangel Fri May 03, 2013 7:04 pm

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/anything?q=anything

The phrase 'as anything' according to the link above means extremely. Maybe 'like' was used as a replacement for 'as'
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Post by bw Fri May 03, 2013 8:57 pm

Hellsangel wrote:http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/anything?q=anything

The phrase 'as anything' according to the link above means extremely. Maybe 'like' was used as a replacement for 'as'

i have never found any of these expressions weird but then i watch way too many british period dramas.

i love the expression "i'll say!" - inspector japp uses it often.

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Post by garam_kuta Fri May 03, 2013 10:03 pm

"more the merrier, I say"' to the PCs-perfect colonials- what's wrong in that, eh ?

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Post by Hellsangel Fri May 03, 2013 10:11 pm

bw wrote:
Hellsangel wrote:http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/anything?q=anything

The phrase 'as anything' according to the link above means extremely. Maybe 'like' was used as a replacement for 'as'

i have never found any of these expressions weird but then i watch way too many british period dramas.

i love the expression "i'll say!" - inspector japp uses it often.

'I say' is apparently dated. But "I'll say" is still in use:

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/say?q=i%27ll+say#say__32
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Post by Nila Sat May 04, 2013 1:03 am

I don't like anything is the correct usage.

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Post by Kris Sat May 04, 2013 1:15 am

Idéfix wrote:Lewis Carroll wrote this in the 19th century.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

Many peculiar forms of Indian English usage were once popular in England, and were adopted by Indians who wanted to appear knowledgeable / fashionable by using the latest terms from London. While the British stopped using those phrases and moved on to others, Indian English teachers religiously taught their students those turns of phrase, and insisted that their students write them 100 times in order to get them right.

>>>>>I had a friend from Sierra Leone (is it Burkina Faso now?) in my early years in this country. We used to laugh about some of the colonial anachronisms. Apparently, in West Africa the kids were taught to muffle their laughs and it was called a 'London laugh'. Another friend from Kenya had the middle name 'Anderson' and it was something the local pastor inserted between his first and last names. I think we got away easy- cricket and a few idioms. Wait, there is also the red tape. Maybe we should have chosen the 'London laugh' and told them to take the red tape with them.

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Post by garam_kuta Sat May 04, 2013 1:26 am

....and when someone is taking a dump, its known as 'he/she has gone to london'

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Post by Nila Sat May 04, 2013 1:27 am

I love this Bharathi song! This used to be one of my cousin's fav. I love it too.

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Post by Kris Sat May 04, 2013 1:35 am

garam_kuta wrote:....and when someone is taking a dump, its known as 'he/she has gone to london'

>>>> And to think it is one of my favorite cities to visit..Smile

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