verbs - How did the phenomenon of doubling words come about?


I am referring to phrases such as: "Do you like her, or do you like like her." Can someone provide an explanation of this? There are many more examples but none come to mind at the moment.



Answer



The doubling of the word implies that both the reader and writer (or speaker and listener) understand that there are two different meanings for the word in question. It's something that is far more often used in speech than writing as it's possible to put a much more subtle emphasis on each word. In the case you mention, of course, the first meaning of like is "do you like her as a person" and the second "do you find her attractive". Other examples that spring to mind (in addition to the hot (temperature) and hot (spicy) that Stuart mentioned) are funny (either amusing or strange), see (literally or in a romantic sense) and the verb "to take out" (to take on a date or to kill/execute). The latter was used to great comic effect in the film "Pulp Fiction" where John Travolta's character is asked to "take out" the boss' wife.


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