# It's "never mind", not "nevermind" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 3, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249 "2008-07-03T23:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/41 "2008-07-04T19:03:40Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] [hijack]Do you study Japanese? You separated the kana the right way! The characters are 津(tsu) and 波(nami).[/h] [/QUOTE] Nah. I was just being a smartass. Or smart ass, so as not to upset anyone (any one). ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/42 "2008-07-04T19:04:40Z")
[QUOTE=Dead Cat] Ooh, a prescriptivist/descriptivist debate - really glad this has come up, no one round here ever seems interested in discussing the subject :rolleyes:. I’m not getting this, can you elaborate? [/QUOTE] Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/43 "2008-07-04T19:05:23Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] I mean she separated the kana into the appropriate kanji. He didn’t say “you mean the three words ‘tsu,’ ‘na,’ and ‘mi,’” or “you mean the two words ‘tsuna’ and ‘mi.’” We are both correct 😃 [/QUOTE] Well you’re not correct; not about me being a “she”, any way. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/44 "2008-07-04T19:10:11Z")
[QUOTE=andros] Which calls it “regional.” Outside of that region, obscure isn’t out of the question. . [/QUOTE] Irrelevant. The OP insisted that there was no such word. And his _obscure_ was a comment on those dictionaries which recognized it. The OED is not an obscure dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/45 "2008-07-04T19:19:13Z")
. Fair enough, although the OP could as easily have been using “obscure” to modify “entries.” Regardless, you’re right. There most certainly _is_ SUCH A FUCKING WORD as “nevermind.” It doesn’t mean the same thing as “never mind,” is all I’m sayin. . ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/46 "2008-07-05T00:29:07Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Nah. I was just being a smartass. Or smart ass, so as not to upset anyone (any one). [/QUOTE] Actually, American Heritage Dictionary hyphenates it: [smart-ass](http://www.bartleby.com/61/20/S0492000.html). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/47 "2008-07-05T02:48:28Z")
So is anyone going to float us a clue on the cryptic south/settlement thing? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveroptic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiveroptic/32/8257_2.png) [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/48 "2008-07-05T04:01:24Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] I’d like to point out to everyone living in Thailand, Thais and others alike: Sometimes it’s “every day,” and sometimes it’s “everyday,” but IT’S NOT FRIGGIN’ “EVERYDAY” ALL THE FIGGIN’ TIME. [/QUOTE] Right! Because at some point it becomes tomorrow, eh? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/49 "2008-07-05T04:24:30Z")
Philosophically, they are two different concepts. “Never mind” means, “I don’t wish to talk about this further.” “Nevermind,” in the Nirvana sense, means, “I no longer think.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/50 "2008-07-05T07:28:26Z")
Crude and dismissive, but you have the gist. Make it “I stopped caring long ago, in the least offensive manner that I can hope to convey” instead of “I no longer think” and we might have something. “Southern” strives endlessly to be inoffensive, no matter how stupid the statement responded to may be. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/51 "2008-07-05T14:33:50Z")
This is the kind of arrogant pedantry up with which I will notput. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/52 "2008-07-05T19:40:06Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Irrelevant. The OP insisted that there was no such word. And his _obscure_ was a comment on those dictionaries which recognized it. [/QUOTE] No it wasn’t , I said “obscure dictonary entries”. An entry in a mainstream dictionary can still be obscure. To all the people bleating about how phrases get compounded into words all the time, so I should lighten up, this is totally different because it is an imperative phrase. Some smartarse is now probably going to come up with another imperative phrase that has in fact been compounded into one word, but fuckthem. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/53 "2008-07-06T02:29:48Z")
[QUOTE=Fiveroptic] Right! Because at some point it becomes tomorrow, eh? [/QUOTE] No, because sometimes it’s “everyday” as in “someone’s everyday routine” and sometimes it’s “every day” as in “We’re open every day.” Or have I just been whooshed? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/54 "2008-07-06T02:45:49Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] No, because sometimes it’s “everyday” as in “someone’s everyday routine” and sometimes it’s “every day” as in “We’re open every day.” Or have I just been whooshed? ☹ [/QUOTE] Hey! You were supposed to end that with “beenwhooshed”. We’re trying to start a trendhere. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveroptic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiveroptic/32/8257_2.png) [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/55 "2008-07-06T02:57:04Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] No, because sometimes it’s “everyday” as in “someone’s everyday routine” and sometimes it’s “every day” as in “We’re open every day.” Or have I just been whooshed? ☹ [/QUOTE] Ah, no worries, it wasn’t a very funny whoosh. I’ll give it another shot someothertime. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/56 "2008-07-06T04:08:59Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] To all the people bleating about how phrases get compounded into words all the time, so I should lighten up, this is totally different because it is an imperative phrase. Some smartarse is now probably going to come up with another imperative phrase that has in fact been compounded into one word, but fuckthem. [/QUOTE] Not exactly imperative (rather, an archaic use of subjunctive), but… “goodbye” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/57 "2008-07-06T04:33:01Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Hey! You were supposed to end that with “beenwhooshed”. We’re trying to start a trendhere. [/QUOTE] Sorryboutthat. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/58 "2008-07-06T10:16:00Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Nah. I was just being a smartass. Or smart ass, so as not to upset anyone (any one). [/QUOTE] I prefer smart arse 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/59 "2008-07-06T11:01:42Z")
How do we feel about “sumbitch” for “sonuvabitch”? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249/60 "2008-07-06T14:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=LilShieste] Whoops - I didn’t mean to come across as some kind of sex-maniac in my earlier post. :o [/QUOTE] Not that there’s any\_thing wrong with that. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-never-mind-not-nevermind/455249.md?page=4)