WAY TOO

Question

Dear Teachers,1. You're not that bad off.- I think "off" is redundant here, right?2. You are worse off.- This means "you don't have much money", right?3. I'm pretty disappointed (about / that) movie.- You choose "about" or "with"?4. Does "no wonder!" mean "no way!"?5. They're way too expensive.- I think "way" here is redundant, tight?Thanks very much to Teachers, Stevenukd.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

The primary meaning of the idiom well off is "having a (somewhat) more than adequate amount of money (and the life style that goes with it)" (without being what we'd call "rich").

not that bad off means not that poor
not that bad means not that evil

So the off is not redundant. Leaving out off changes the meaning.

worse off means not having as much money (as before, for example).

All of these idioms can refer to a person's general situation, not specifically related to money, however, so worse off can mean "farther from the solution to the problem (than before)" and a variety of other similar things.

disappointed with a movie is more common.

No wonder! does not mean No way! It means something closer to "Of course! That's not surprising! That makes sense!" (It is not anything to wonder about. There is no mystery about it.) This phrase is often used at moments of realization, moments of recognizing a connection between facts -- usually a fairly obvious connection.)

-- He lied about it?
-- Well, if he had admitted that he had done it, he probably would have been put in prison.
-- Ah, no wonder he lied, then!

In way too, the word way is not redundant, no.

too expensive means more expensive than I think it should be or having a cost higher than I am willing to pay or any of a number of such paraphrases. Note that it is more expensive than something, but does not say how much more expensive.
way too expensive, on the other hand, tells us how much more expensive. It says (very) much more expensive (than ...)

CJ

Nef · Answer

1. You're not that bad off.

- I think "off" is redundant here, right? Not necessarily. This can mean that someone's circumstances are not really bad. "You're not that bad," on the other hand, is more likely to mean that the person himself or herself is not bad.

2. You are worse off.

- This means "you don't have much money", right? This certainly is one common meaning, yes. But it might mean than someone is worse off in some other way. For instance, if you are sick and I am healthy, then you are worse off than I am (in terms of health). If one student is doing well in a class but another student is failing the class, the second student is worse off than the first one (in terms of how they are doing in that class). And so on. The precise meaning can differ with context.

3. I'm pretty disappointed (about / that) movie.

- You choose "about" or "with"? You need both words. "I'm pretty disappointed about movie" doesn't work, and neither does "I'm pretty disappointed that movie."

4. Does "no wonder!" mean "no way!"? No, it means something like "naturally" or "of course."

For instance, "He seems very angry."

"Well, no wonder! He just had an accident and his car was completely wrecked."

5. They're way too expensive.

- I think "way" here is redundant, tight? This means "They're much too expensive." The "way" is adding emphasis. "They're too expensive" is correct, also, but is not as strong a statement about the items being costly.

Another example: "I'd like to go home for a visit, but it is way too far to travel in my short vacation." (much too far to travel)

WAY TOO

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