Unless and until: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Amwelladmin (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Amwelladmin (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
A cretinous expression that means simply “until”, because “until” ''implies'' “unless”. Inevitably couched as a [[double negative]], you may see, from the nib of a {{lawyer|fastidious wordsmith}}: | {{pe}}A cretinous expression that means simply “until”, because “until” ''implies'' “unless”. Inevitably couched as a [[double negative]], you may see, from the nib of a {{lawyer|fastidious wordsmith}}: | ||
“''Party A [[shall]] not be [[obligated]] to do any such thing [[unless and until]] state of affairs X [[shall have | “''Party A [[shall]] not be [[obligated]] to do any such thing [[unless and until]] state of affairs X [[shall have]] occurred.” | ||
*“[[Until]] X” means “[[at any time]] up to the point at which X happens”. | *“[[Until]] X” means “[[at any time]] up to the point at which X happens”. | ||
*“[[Unless]] X” means “except if X has happened”. | *“[[Unless]] X” means “except if X has happened”. | ||
At the point in time at which X happens, then X must have happened. [[Q.E.D.]] | |||
To put it in a way which | To put it in a way which noted legal commentator Professor Leonard Kravitz<ref>Learned author of the celebrated monograph “''It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over''”.</ref> might recognise: | ||
“''It ain’t happened ’til it’s happened.''” | |||
{{ | But don’t let that stream of irresistible logic stop you [[flannel]]ling away to your heart’s content. | ||
{{ref}} | |||
Latest revision as of 13:30, 14 August 2024
|
Towards more picturesque speech™
|
A cretinous expression that means simply “until”, because “until” implies “unless”. Inevitably couched as a double negative, you may see, from the nib of a fastidious wordsmith:
“Party A shall not be obligated to do any such thing unless and until state of affairs X shall have occurred.”
- “Until X” means “at any time up to the point at which X happens”.
- “Unless X” means “except if X has happened”.
At the point in time at which X happens, then X must have happened. Q.E.D.
To put it in a way which noted legal commentator Professor Leonard Kravitz[1] might recognise:
“It ain’t happened ’til it’s happened.”
But don’t let that stream of irresistible logic stop you flannelling away to your heart’s content.
References
- ↑ Learned author of the celebrated monograph “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over”.