Tuesday, 15 March 2016

meaning - Is “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet” a common or respectable English expression?


I was a bit puzzled with the expression, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Isn’t this a double negative, which I learnt to be an affirmative statement in high school almost 70 years ago?.




The meaning is akin to "you haven't yet seen the best, most interesting, or most exciting part".



"You ain't seen nothing yet" is a common expression -- it shows up a lot of different places. For example, James Brown's 1967 hit "Soul Man":




Got what I got, the hard way



And I'll make it better each and every day



So honey don't you fret



'Cause you ain't seen nothin' yet




Here the singer is telling his "honey" not to worry about their present condition (presumably not very good) -- because the best is yet to come.



This usage, as a reassuring or motivational statement, is very common. Here's the CEO of telecommunications company telling investors that despite poor performance, they should be patient, because exciting changes are ahead:




Sprint looks poised to continue upping the ante, with [Sprint CEO Marcelo] Claure teasing more promotions and discounts to come. "You ain't seen nothing yet," Claure said, adding that the next two to three weeks has him "extremely excited."




As for the other part of your question,




What’s wrong with saying “You’ve seen nothing yet” or “You haven’t seen anything yet”?




Grammatically speaking, "you haven't seen anything yet" is a better choice (the other alternative you suggested, "you've seen nothing yet", seems a bit condescending).



But that's a very dry, robotic way of saying it. Such is the nature of English idioms (or idioms in any language, really): they add color and connotation beyond their literal meanings and constructions.

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