Skip to main content

Fine

Back in the day, hearing "You look fine," was just the type of cat call you either loved or hated (perhaps a mix of the two). Still, it was a funky affirmation. Your bell bottoms and platforms were working. You were looking good.



Pinterest Board of Efrat Melter from digilander.libero.it




Fine has run the gamut as a colloquialism. Now, seeing "Fine!" in a text could mean someone is pretty pissed off with you. This is fine + hissy fit.

I like fine without the exclamation point. It is a way of saying all is good and right in the world. Question: "How are you? Response: "Fine." Four letters can be used to say so much. All pretty positive, unless you're using it as a cover, which many of us do. Question: "How are you? Response: "Fine," (the bottom has fallen out of my world) she said with a peevish smile.

It's also not so positive when you're asked to "read the fine print" in which case, you know you'd better slap on those readers or use a magnifying glass to examine the text before signing on the dotted line.

Fine is one of the words that varies greatly in meaning, depending on the time period, person saying it, honesty and reason for using it. It's all about context.


Happy Baby Sleeping: Image from Davenport Library Blog



"F" is for Fine.

Notes on my Theme:
This post is written for the 2015 A to Z Challenge. During this challenge, participating bloggers post once a day, in alphabetical order. This is done 6 days per week. Sundays are off. My theme presents words that are exciting. These words serve as thematic motifs in my writing. My theme also revolves around exclamation points. The words I've chosen to explore can replace or stand alone from the dreaded exclamation point, which writers are urged to avoid.





Comments

  1. A very complex word, when you analyse it!

    Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yup, I have just answered fine to a how are you question when I have two aching shoulders. Not that anyone really wants to hear all the bad things anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thats so apropos, Jo! What a great example!

      Delete
  3. "I'm fine."

    I'm so glad you chose "fine." I absolutely hate when I ask somebody if they'd like more this or that, e.g. 'Would you like more salad?" and the answer is, "I'm fine." What does that mean? I didn't ask you how you were.

    "Can I get you something to drink?"
    "I'm fine."

    How about "No, thanks" or "No, thank you."

    Now I'm an ESL teacher and I think all the ESL books need to be rewritten!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never thought about the ESL books in light of our ever-changing language preferences. Makes sense though.

      Delete
  4. It is interesting how that one word can mean so many things! This is especially true of texting, where so much of the meaning can be lost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephanie, yes I believe text language is messing with good writing sense. With it came the rise of exclamation points.

      Delete
  5. Thanks Stephanie, such a broad word. What about getting a traffic fine, library fine.. not so fine..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely not okay Susan. I agree with your fine examples.

      Delete
    2. :) :) :) (!) . sorry I had to add the exclamation!

      Delete
    3. Yes, sometimes they're needed but obviously not as often as one might think.

      Delete
  6. I think the tone contributes a lot as well. "Fine!" can sound resigned, angry, sarcastic - all negative - or enthusiastic meaning Great!

    If I ask my husband how I look and he says "fine" I'm not too flattered. I hear that as "you'll do" but he assures me that's not what he means!

    Thanks for visiting Adventures of a retired librarian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, having someone say you look fine has many different meanings, clarified by the tone in which it's said.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Go ahead. Make my day by leaving a comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Follow Fest Interview and Sharing

When I first became a blogger it was difficult to know if I had readers and visitors coming to my blog. I’d post and be met by the sounds of crickets. Then, I branched out into the world of the blogosphere, a world I  didn't  know really existed. From my ventures, I met a lot of interesting bloggers.  I've  started following and commenting on numerous blogs, for you see, prior to my outings, I too was out among the crickets. Lurking about but seldom saying anything. A fellow blogger  I've  met through my journeys around the blogosphere is Melissa Maygrove . She had the brilliant idea to have a Follow Fest , where we share about who we are, what we do and most importantly, how you can connect with us further. It is my intention through joining Follow Fest, that I’ll connect with many more readers and people interested enough in what I do to want to learn more by following. So, here goes my entry for the fest. Name:   Stephanie Rose Bird Fiction or

Gran Bwa

Gran Bwa is a lwa that helps you connect to ancestral roots or the spiritual home of Vodou. A friend of mine, who is an expert on Haitian Vodou, who has spent a lot of time in Haiti with the artists there, told me I had painted Gran Bwa when I made this spontaneous work out of walnut ink and sumi-ink on handmade paper. I had considered this painting a self-portrait. She now holds this piece in her private collection: Quite a few people are afraid of Vodou but it is an awe-inspiring tradition of bringing together plant energy with divinity, spiritual and personal energy. My friend who is very involved with Vodou, especially the art that surrounds it, is from European ancestry. She is light in spirit and bubbly, with a close relationship to nature and her garden.  Vodou affirms the relationships between cycles of life, trees of knowledge and spirit.  The Vodou vision of lwa , understands them as the intelligence of energy present in humans, nature and thoughts.  Mysteries ca

Xochitl--Flower

                                     (Winter Poinsettia by Stephanie Rose Bird, oil on wood) One of my Facebook friends does daily posts and shares called "I love Flowers." I love flowers too, in real life, in my garden, in paintings and as they are related to the gods and goddesses, in healing, as well as their use in folklore like Hoodoo. Not long ago I posted about Xochipelli (Sho-CHEE-pee-lee) prince of flowers and Xochiquetzal (Sho-CHEE-ket-zul) goddess of flowers in anticipation of April's blooming season.  The Goddess and Prince of Flowers post  is here. Today, I want to focus in on the root word of their names and it's symbolism. This word is Xochitl (Show-CHEE-tul) in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. This word means flower.                                            ( Frida Kahlo "Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser) In many different belief systems there are nature gods and goddesses connected with flowers. Flowers possess symbolism,