I would like to know the difference between ‘least of all’ and ‘not least of all’. I understand what they both mean, at least partly. So, please help me out with the following sentences. What is the difference in meaning?
No one in my family believes that Covid will one day disappear, least of all Jerry.
No one in my family believes that Covid will one day disappear, not least of all me.
Then there is ‘not least of which’.
I will patch things up with my cousin for various reasons, not least of which is this child I’m carrying. (I heard that in a television series).
As said I partly understand it, but that’s not true. I do understand it, but dictionaries sometimes gives such vague defintions because they use a lot of fancy words. I would like someone to explain this to me like I am a five-year old.
P.S. I could have been a good Briton, because I’ve noticed they don’t like complicated things and neither do I. Perhaps I’m wrong. However, thank you in advance.
Thank you so much, my dear man. You’ve really relieved me of… what can I say, yes: a little burden. Again, thank you. Besides, has any one ever told you look nice wearing that cute, pink tie and always smiling? It’s charming (please, don’t get that wrong).
I’d recommend that you never use “not least of all”.
I agree with Alan that it can make an important distinction. However if you need to make that distinction, there are better ways to say it. So don’t ever use “not least of all”. It makes the reader stop to scratch their head while the try to figure out what it means. So don’t do it. Reword the entire sentence instead.
No one in my family believes that Covid will disappear someday, especially Jerry.
“No one in my family believes that Covid will one day disappear, not least of all me.”
This is super confusing.
“I will patch things up with my cousin for various reasons, not least of which is this child I’m carrying.”
This is also very confusing. Try something like this:
For various reasons I will patch things up with my cousin. The child I’m carrying being the most important reason.
In any case, the absence of the definite article before ‘least’ is confusing (to me) especially when the speaker wants to be specific and emphatic like ‘the last but not the least’, ‘the least that I can do for you’ etc.
@Masme, I like simple things as well.
At first I felt I certainly understood your original sentence, but the more I looked, the less comfortable I felt with it’s meaning.
As a five year old (with many years experience), I might say “ No one in my family believes that Covid will one day disappear, not even Jerry.” or “…especially Jerry”, depending what you mean.
But for simplicity and clarity, I would get rid of all the negatives.
“Everyone in my family believes that Covid will persist, even Jerry.”
Or “…especially Jerry.”