Stan Carey looks at the Irish “grand.” A bit late, but I better understand one of my grandmothers now. Worth clicking through for the astonishing headline from The Irish Times.
A related post
“Mother, you always pick the grandest things”
Monday, July 1, 2019
The Irish “grand”
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Not just Ireland! There's similar use in north-west England and (I suspect because of migration over the years) in lowlands Scotland. Also the ambiguity - "good" and "I'm good" have the same sense of "yes please" and "no thanks" as the article indicates.
Stan Carey has it covered in his post, or the OED does: “historically commoner in North American, Scottish, Irish English, and English regional usage than in standard British English.”
The ambiguity of “good” and “I’m good” would throw me. “Yes, please” and “No, thanks”: clear!
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