# Without looking it up do you know what the term "pass remarkable" means? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519 "2010-07-21T22:09:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/1 "2010-07-21T22:09:14Z")
It seems the term is only used in Ireland and Scotland. I always thought it was more “standard” English. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/2 "2010-07-21T22:35:25Z")
American. Never heard it before. I had a guess, Googled it, and turns out I was dead wrong, so there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/3 "2010-07-21T22:39:34Z")
English. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/4 "2010-07-21T22:56:58Z")
American. Not ringing any bells. I just looked it up and it doesn’t make a damn bit of sense either. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/5 "2010-07-21T23:16:45Z")
Can’t even begin to imagine a context in which this would make sense – English, lived in Scotland (Inner Hebrides and Perth) visited Eire, had Irish great grandmother. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/6 "2010-07-21T23:23:02Z")
Nope, never heard of it. However, when I looked it up they had a picture of my spouse next to the definition. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/7 "2010-07-21T23:25:38Z")
As with every single respondent thus far, nope. And when I googled it, this thread was the fifth hit, so it can’t be all that common. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/8 "2010-07-21T23:29:21Z")
Wow, the usage is something I never would have guessed. It doesn’t make sense to me either, not considering how remarkable is usually used. ---
**Author:** ![toodlepip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@toodlepip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toodlepip)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/9 "2010-07-21T23:36:00Z")
Live in Scotland. Never heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/10 "2010-07-21T23:41:54Z")
I figured it meant that a thing is just barely interesting, like a mundane news item. “Is it worthy of remark? Meh, it passes for remarkable, sure.” Having looked it up, it seems like it means that remarks are made in passing. How that relates to insults, I can’t fathom. It seems like it would mean a throw-away comment. Maybe if someone passes over your feelings to make a remark? Yeah, I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/11 "2010-07-21T23:42:35Z")
It’s a really common term here and I just imagined it was standard “He’s very pass remarkable”. I’ve always found it a peculiar construction but never imagined it was a localish construction. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/12 "2010-07-22T00:55:40Z")
I know the phrase ‘to pass remarks’ meaning ‘to criticise’ (cf. “I’m not criticising, I’m just commenting”), but I’ve never heard of it as an adjective, and didn’t make the connection. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/13 "2010-07-22T06:30:57Z")
I wonder if this is like the [Yat](http://www.gumbopages.com/yatspeak.html)/Cajun expression “Pass a good time”. It’s also common to “pass a vacuum” rather than “vacuum the carpet” (although Google seems to indicate that this is more widespread than just Southern Louisiana.) Also, if you’re going to “pass by” someone’s house, that means you’re going to stop and visit. These all probably have French origins, but this is just an example of strange uses of “pass”. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/14 "2010-07-22T06:47:11Z")
Never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/15 "2010-07-22T07:09:13Z")
I have to keep checking in to this thread just to find out if there are any “yes” votes yet. I’ve never seen such a lopsided poll. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/16 "2010-07-22T08:48:26Z")
I don’t know what it means and it reminds me of this time I had to get a certified translation of my university report. I’m wondering whether it may be something like “a high Pass grade”. I had provided a table of how to translate the grades, without knowing that the translator was required by law to not use such a thing but translate things as literally as possible. So at the bottom of the page, where the original said “60-69% Aprobado, 70-79% Notable, 80-94% Sobresaliente, 95-100% Matrícula”, she wrote “60-69% Approved, 70-79% Remarkable, 80-94% Outstanding, 95-100% License”… (the “matrícula” means “tuition”, the name is a shortening of “matrícula de honor” and comes from places where getting one means a discount in next year’s tuition). That was my first encounter with certified translations and it left me with a hatred of them that’s still with me 17 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/17 "2010-07-22T08:56:58Z")
Could it be short for “passing”? I’ve read the phrase “passing strange” before (it’s from Shakespeare, I think); this could have a similar meaning. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/18 "2010-07-22T11:18:24Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Could it be short for “passing”? I’ve read the phrase “passing strange” before (it’s from Shakespeare, I think); this could have a similar meaning. I thought passing meant very in that construction. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/19 "2010-07-22T11:21:07Z")
NZer living in the UK. Never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519/20 "2010-07-22T11:26:34Z")
Lived in Scotland for seven years. Never heard of it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-it-up-do-you-know-what-the-term-pass-remarkable-means/547519.md?page=2)