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Tufted Titmouse
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14 Jul 2009, 8:14 pm

i get this phrase thrown at me sometimes by people that i hang out with. In general people seem to have an issue with people who "don't get it", "or are way off". What is the big deal? Why can't people just not care if someone "doesnt get it"?



buryuntime
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14 Jul 2009, 8:36 pm

being "way off" means to have an outlandish answer or view to something.



Hmmmn
Deinonychus
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15 Jul 2009, 1:39 am

People generally want you to understand the meaning behind what they say, they want to be understood especially when talking about themselves. The 'you're way off' phrase tends to be used when you've made a wrong or (in their view) offensive assumption about a person. The 'just don't get it' one tends to come out when you can't undestand the subtext of what someone is saying, something they may think should be obvious.

Heard these many times and it doesn't pay to argue with the person but it can pay to try harder to undestand them. Not always though.



salamander
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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15 Jul 2009, 6:07 am

Hmmmn wrote:
The 'just don't get it' one tends to come out when you can't undestand the subtext of what someone is saying, something they may think should be obvious.


What's an example of subtext? I know what the word means, but I don't know if I miss it when people are talking to me. What are some normal subtexts that may arise in a conversation?



b9
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15 Jul 2009, 8:03 am

Quote:
What's the big deal if "I'm way off".


it is a big deal if you are aiming for a distant target like a grain of matter on the other side of the universe.

it is not so much a big deal if you are aiming at point blank distance.