[Phys-l] idioms

[John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>]

On 02/23/2009 04:14 PM, curtis osterhoudt wrote:
> Snippet of original message below. I'm really not posting this to be
> an ass; the question genuinely strikes me as difficult: Does
> "vanishingly unlikely" mean very unlikely, or quite likely ("quite
> <whatever>", 

  http://www.yourdictionary.com/vanishingly

It's an idiom.  

Idioms are separate from logic.  (Otherwise they wouldn't be idioms.)

Idioms are necessary.  They cover the cases that logic doesn't cover.
Expressions for "degree of smallness" or "degree of badness" are a 
common and important case.  If you think "vanishingly small" is hard
to parse, try "near miss".


Idioms cause problems for non-native speakers.  This is a running gag
on the show "NCIS".
  http://nfacommunity.proboards62.com/index.cgi?board=zivacommunity&action=display&thread=1687