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Mon 31 Dec, 2007 11:20 am
What, actually, is the meaning of this phrase? I come across it from time to time, while reading.
Does it simply mean that the difference between two things is so minor that it can be discarded as irrelevant?
It seems to be used most generally in fictional conversations, especially when one person desires to put down another with whom he is arguing.
If you had been knocked down in the parking lot by a red car, and told your co-worker that you had been hit by a red car, to which your co-worker objected that it was more of a burgundy, i think that would well qualify as a distinction without a difference.
I think that, when that expression is properly used, the intent is to point out that the distinction is not relevant to the circumstance or outcome.
A distinction without a difference
Thank you, Set, that sounds about right. It illustrates my understanding exactly.
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