Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[BMO]

Jack of all trades knows a lot about a little, and a little about a lot. Can I rephrase like:

Knows a lot about a little something, and knows a little about a lot of other things.

i.e., he knows two or three things in great detail, that is all.

Thanks.

bmo

[bud]

It's pretty good, BMO. The only thing I would change is "a little something." I don't think you need both "a little" and "something." You can use either, but both together sounds a little odd.

By the way, I'm not so sure that a jack-of-all-trades knows a lot about something, but he certainly does know a little about a lot of things. It's usually not a negative thing to say about a person. For example, it'd be good to have a jack-of-all-trades as the super (superintendent) of an apartment building. He can fix most minor to moderate plumbing problems, electrical problems, boiler problems, etc.

[BMO]

You said a lttle is equivalent to something, and a little something is odd. Do you mean something is not many, just a couple of things?

Also, my understanding of jack-of-all-trades is not a bad thing either, but I got this from a Taiwanese English Discussion website, so I should go back and tell them. I have heard "a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none," but this is still a compliment.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

bmo

[bud]

Man, English sure can be complicated! All I can say, BMO, is that in this particular sentence, "a little" and "something" would be roughly equivalent. "A little" is always "a little," of course. "Something" is probably "a little," but it is not as definite as "a little."

Sometimes "a little something" does work; I don't think it does in that sentence, but I can't explain why.

Ex.:

Gail: Are you hungry at all?
Rose: As a matter of fact, I am. I could go for a little something to eat.

I wasn't sure if you thought the term was negative, so that's why I said what I did. I would say, though, that when "master of none" is added, it does become more likely to be a negative thing to say. Often though, it would be a thing to comment about yourself when modestly reacting to a compliment.

Pete: I didn't know you knew anything about art.
Tony: Well you know... jack-of-all-trades and master of none!

Thanks, and you have a great weekend yourself!

[BMO]

Thanks for a very clear explanation. Indeed the original post from a Taiwanese website does sound negative. I have since posted a correction.

Bud, do you know you and other teachers are helping not only us but also indirectly people in other countries who do not log on to this website?

bmo

[bud]

Wow, that's cool! Thanks for telling us!

[Blossom]

BMO. Why do you want to rephrase the original sentence?

[BMO]

Jack of all trades knows a lot about a little, and a little about a lot. Can I rephrase like:

Knows a lot about a little something, and knows a little about a lot of other things.

==================================
Someone at a Taiwanese site did not know the meaning of "a lot about a little," and "a little about a lot." He/she had the two reversed. I just confirmed what I have known all along.

bmo

[Blossom]

BMO.

Who are you, and where are you from? Is it a dark secret? Why are you hiding ?

I do not think you should be posting when you are so secretive.

[RedRose]

Is it Jack of all trades or Jack-of-all-trade?

Is Jack of all trades noun or adjective? thanks in advance!

[bud]

It is written with the hyphens and without capitalization. Normally, it is used as a noun.