What does it mean? "little did I expect" ...

[compunk]

Hi.
What does it mean?" Little did I expect "

Here is the exemple :

Little did I expect it might be so easily tracked in its impact. People
want to complain about the exit polling in terms of the rollercoaster
ride Tuesday night, but that's not what exit polling is all about. It's
about helping figure out subtle influences like this one.

Bye.

[Jim Heckman]

Post by compunk
Hi.
What does it mean?" Little did I expect "
Little did I expect it might be so easily tracked in its impact. People
want to complain about the exit polling in terms of the rollercoaster
ride Tuesday night, but that's not what exit polling is all about. It's
about helping figure out subtle influences like this one.

It's a poetic way of saying "I did not expect ..." This
construction is very old-fashioned, and nowadays is pretty much
restricted to verbs like "expect", "realize", "suspect", "think",
etc., involving some sort of mental activity.

The word order is always "little [(first) auxiliary] [subject]
[rest of verb phrase] ...", for example "little does he realize
...", "little has Mary suspected ...", "little will they be
thinking ..." Note that one must use the auxiliary "to do" in the
'simple' present and past tenses; you can't say *"little I expect"
or *"little I expected".

[SherLok Merfy]

Jim Heckman wrote:
(...)

Post by Jim Heckman
It's a poetic way of saying "I did not expect ..."

I would call it more exact than poetic.

[Jack Hamilton]

Post by compunk
Hi.
What does it mean?" Little did I expect "
Little did I expect it might be so easily tracked in its impact. People
want to complain about the exit polling in terms of the rollercoaster
ride Tuesday night, but that's not what exit polling is all about. It's
about helping figure out subtle influences like this one.

It means "I didn't expect this, but...", more or less. The person
saying it didn't expect what is about to be stated, and is surprised by
it.

It's a fairly common rhetorical phrase.



Jack Hamilton
***@acm.org

-----
Though in a state of society some must have greater
luxuries and comforts than others, yet all should have
the necessities of life; and if the poor cannot exist,
in vain may the rich look for happiness or prosperity.
The legistlature is never so well employed as when they
look to the interests of those who are at a distance
from them in the ranks of society. It is their duty
to do so; religion calls for it; humanity calls for it;
and if there are hearts who are not awake to either of
those feelings, their own interests would dictate it.

Sir Lloyd Kenyon, Rex vs. Rusby, 1800