| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| understanding, misunderstanding (nn.) |
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| Understanding is Standard in most of its literal senses but is sometimes considered a bit old-fashioned in the sense of “an oral agreement not made public, especially one between a man and a woman or between two parties in any other sort of negotiation”: Although we were not formally engaged, we had an understanding before I enlisted. We hadn’t yet signed the papers, it’s true, but I thought the owner and I had reached an understanding that I would buy the car at the figure named. This last example also illustrates the use of understanding as what has been called “a sinister euphemism,” to gloss over or ignore a failure of agreement. Misunderstanding is also sometimes strained in order to play down and make little of a disagreement: We were not quarreling; it was just a misunderstanding. Some such uses suggest that there was no real disagreement, even though the literal sense of the word makes it clear that there was. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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