However

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Towards more picturesque speech


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A conjunction simply begging to be complicated, but which a foolhardy fellow might simplify. For an oratorical flourish, consider howsoever, and if you really want points for difficulty, notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary.

If the dictionaries of the world are to be believed, “however”, “nevertheless” and “notwithstanding” are close synonyms, and all are more slippery than they might at first appear.

There are two ways of reading notwithstanding: one is that it provides a gloss an overly liberal construction on the foregoing, as if to say, “now, chaps, let us not get carried away”. Another is to read it as a condition to the foregoing. “I may indeed be obliged to cover my house in blue cheese, but only if there is no Farrar & Ball emulsion available.” A third is as an exception to the foregoing: “the rest of the world might be yellow, but this part is green”.