Damned with Faint Praise (and lots of qualifiers)

[triadruid]

This has to be the best "not-a-compliment" I've seen lately:

"...probably the best-known practitioner of alternate history working today."

Also, new icon.

Comments

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Given that without a positive or negative qualifier it applies equally to "famous" and "infamous," since when is "well-known" a compliment?

I don't see anything complimentary about that statement.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a book-jacket note, supposedly praise for Harry Turtledove.

[druidevo.livejournal.com]

wow my first thought was infact that very author, when I read that statment.

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

They've got to be talking about Martin H. Greenberg, right? I don't know that he invented that genre, but he pretty much honed it to a fine polish.

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Huh? I thought it was referring to George W. Bush.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

*snort*

[shahera5.livejournal.com]

So did I!

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Harry Turtledove, actually.

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

D'oh! I should've known.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

But it sounds good, doesn't it? Someday I want to be probably the best at something if you only consider the people currently doing it. It's a goal. :)

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Sure, it's a goal, just seems a little lower than the goal he might have been shooting for. ;)

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Not "probably the best" -- "probably the best-known."

Crucial difference.

[lilia-blackbear.livejournal.com]

The phrase alone has me quite baffled, and there must be context that I'm missing... because as it is, it looks as though someone is practicing history... How exactly does one practice history? Is it a synecdoche? Does practicing mean writing alternate history or re-enacting alternate history or...? Not computing...

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Writing, in this case; see above comments.

[lilia-blackbear.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah, see, if I actually paid attention to tags and read comments before posting, that might help...

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Well, considering I didn't explain who the subject was or what they were doing until after you commented, I don't think you're at fault much. :)

In completely unrelated news

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Our machine-part-looking rings are very cool, but dammit, they are not as cool as this.

Re: In completely unrelated news

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Whoa.