[identity profile] altariel.livejournal.com 2008-06-20 10:50 am (UTC)(link)
"the importance of X cannot be underestimated"

Ooh, why does that not work?

[identity profile] steepholm.livejournal.com 2008-06-20 10:58 am (UTC)(link)
Well, it does work if you're trying to say that something's really really unimportant. Then, no matter how hard you try, you'll find it impossible to underestimate its importance, because it's so unimportant in reality. But what people usually mean when they use this phrase is the opposite of that: i.e. that the thing is so important that it's importance can't be overestimated.

Maybe what confuses the issue is the apparently-similar phrase, "The importance of X should not be underestimated."

[identity profile] greylin.livejournal.com 2008-06-20 12:55 pm (UTC)(link)
It's a bit like when people say "I could care less" when, patently, they couldn't!

[identity profile] altariel.livejournal.com 2008-06-20 01:27 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL, yes, I'm following now!

[identity profile] altariel.livejournal.com 2008-06-20 01:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah! *slaps forehead* I'm struggling with verbs as well as nouns today as well.