Stefan Ram
2021-01-30 20:34:10 UTC
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PermalinkSome dictonaries (about 20 years old) seem to ignore "up front"
totally. Many (from today) do give an explanations but they explain
only the two figurative meanings "in advance" (of a payment) and
"frank, forthright". As a learner, I sometimes encounter uses as
|Sit up front and toward the middle
|- the so-called 'zone of participation'
where it means "in the front", which is only explained
in a few dictionaries. In
|up front teaching
(or maybe "up-front teaching"), it seems to have the meaning
"teaching with the teacher up front" where "up front" now
has the meaning "being in a leading position". This meaning
is given in a few dictionary, but not with the explanantion
of the transfer from "teacher" to "teaching".
Finally, with verbs of motion, as in
|to go up front
, it can mean "to the front" - a meaning I did not find in any
dictionary.
And if you read until here: "No questions asked" also can be
a kind of an idiom, meaning "not nosey" as in
|They rent these things out by
|the hour, no questions asked.
(although the meaning here also is the literal meaning).
And if you read until here: "nosey" may also be spelled "nosy".
And if you read until here: "spelled" may also be spelled "spelt".