"most unique" - depeche

ffs, keep the commentary to the game, smartar$e.

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Tuesday, March 11 2008 @ 05:55 PM PDT

"most unique" - grh-akl

It's a funny thing. I'm a language pedant too and I was not unhappy to see your post. Then I studied what they'd written and it made me pause. Could be they have uncovered the first legitimate usage of "most unique" that I've ever seen.

Imagine a person does, says or invents something unique. Imagine it's only a small step for someone else to emulate it or do something so similar that you can no longer assert that the first is still unique.

Now imagine that someone else does, says or invents something unique. But, this time, it's quite a _big_ step for another to emulate it or do something similar. Or, let's say, not so much a big step but what this last person must do, in order to render the thing no longer unique, is massive, requiring considerable input, thought, development or initiative.

Under both circumstances, the first thing is, indeed, unique. But in the second circumstance, it might — just might — be possible to assert that the first implementation was more unique inasmuch as it required a much greater effort or input to defeat its uniqueness.

What Pangea might be saying is that all of their developments were unique but they believe this one to be different inasmuch as it will require much more effort, imagination, creativity, talent, for someone else to emulate it and therefore render it no longer unique.

Anyway, I think the hypothesis is interesting enough to test in alt.english.usage.

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Tuesday, July 01 2008 @ 07:20 PM PDT