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Oct 1, 2015 · 2. "Shame on you" is a common expression. used to reprove someone for something of which they should be ashamed. (ODO) Its usage as a set phrase appears to be from the beginning of the 19th century and has increased during recent decades according to Ngram: Its construction and usage seem to be quite "unique", other similar intuitive ...
The emergence of a meaning of shame along the lines of "cause of disappointment or regret" seems to have occurred in stages, at least by Merriam-Webster's telling. The first hint that it was emerging appears in the 1963 Seventh Collegiate 's reference to "something that brings strong regret, censure, or reproach."
Jul 27, 2015 · Shame (definition 2) A regrettable or unfortunate situation or action. With examples. ‘what a shame Ellie won't be here’ and ‘it is a shame that they are not better known’. and. Pity (again definition 2) A cause for regret or disappointment, with examples.
Apr 6, 2017 · ON fý (Da. fy, also fy skam dig fie shame to you ! Sw. fy), of similar origin. The ON may possibly be a joint source of the Eng. word, but the early instances either occur in translations from Fr. or imitate the Fr. construction fi de.} 1. An exclamation expressing, in early use, disgust or indignant reproach.
Jan 29, 2013 · 7. There are four things going on here. The first is putting the verb before the subject to make a question. This is normal with English, but only with certain verbs. Be, do, have, and the modal verbs (can, could, should, shall, will, would, may, might, must, ought, dare, need, and the combinations "had better" and "used to" though their use in ...
1. To be honest, in common usage, there is very little difference between these two. Both are phrases that are used as a way of conveying a sense of sympathy for the person telling the story (usually by an older woman who is clucking her tongue while saying it). To my native ear, however, I've always preferred "What a shame!"
Jan 15, 2017 · Be a shame if anything happened to it.” (Or, “Nice place you got here. It would be a pity if anything happened to it.") The message is that the speaker can make life difficult for the listener if the listener doesn’t go along with the program (such as paying extortion money).
Aug 12, 2013 · What a shame is a little colder. People use it to express a loss of respect for whatever they are talking about. For instance, if the boy is the one who started the fight, his father might say "What a shame." This means he has lost some respect for his son. shame: loss of respect; dishonour: the incident had brought shame on his family.
Certainly "I don't know, I'm afraid" is more common in England today. In this particular context, referring to yourself, I would say it sounds more archaic than formal. "It's a shame" would often be used in other circumstances, e.g. "It's a shame the weather spoiled the event." Today "it's a pity" would be more commonly used in such a circumstance.
May 13, 2018 · No shame.”. When the writer uses ‘No shame’ in this context, what does he intend to convey specifically? I doubt that the expression conveys a negative connotation in this case, as he seems to try not to offend the readers. Presumably he means "There is nothing to be ashamed of in being in this situation".
