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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2022 November 15

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November 15[edit]

It was not until[edit]

Banned user
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

what is the meaning of it was not until.

I found it in encyclopedia brittanica but sadly this page website only tells the reader to find the sentences that contains the phrase it was not until. See the link brittanica dictionary presents› sentence library... Sentences that begin with "Not until..." | Britannica Dictionary What the fuck It is quasi known for this phrasal preposition that tells the reader to find sentence that contains it was not until. Please i will noted to you i am feel annoyed by the fact that the phrasal preposition it was not until has worthless meaning. Who someone has invented the phrasal preposition it was not until. That link i give to you is Ask the Editor Sentences that begin with "Not until..." Question Sentences that begin with "Not until..."

Very questionable and then why they should find a example sentence first rather than the meaning behind that phrasal preposition.

Please someone can find the answer regarding the definition behind the phrasal preposition it was not until. 2404:8000:1027:85F6:5DF3:130F:5F19:77A6 (talk) 10:30, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I don't like your tone very much (and I've reverted the other edit you made today, which was incorrect), but the answer is that its use in a phrase like "it was not until the 21st century that it was first performed in Germany, the U.S. and other countries" (Violin Concerto (Weinberg)) carries the implication that it took a long time (longer, perhaps, than expected) for the thing to happen. --Viennese Waltz 10:37, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  • Didn't we have this conversation just a few weeks ago? The phrase "not until..." means "did not occur before" the time noted. So, if I said "It was not until Friday that we got paid" what that means is the event noted (getting paid) did not happen before Friday, but did happen on Friday. Does that make sense this time? --Jayron32 11:59, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Evidently not a native speaker of English, though well-versed in English vulgarisms. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:21, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, I'd forgotten to geolocate the IP address. Now I know who this is - the banned user Cyberllamamusic, see here. --Viennese Waltz 13:45, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]