Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (164 page)

Not supposed to
.
Go to (It's) not supposed to.

not to put too fine a point on it
a phrase introducing a negative or controversial point.
R
ACHEL
: Not to put too fine a point on it, Mary, but you're still acting a little rude to Tom. M
ARY
: I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel
.
J
OHN
: I think, not to put too fine a point on it, you ought to do exactly as you are told. A
NDREW
: And I think you ought to mind your own business.

Not to worry
.
Please do not worry.
B
ILL
: The rain is going to soak all our clothes. T
OM
: Not to worry. I put them all in plastic bags
.
S
UE
: I think we're about to run out of money. B
ILL
: Not to worry. I have some more traveler's checks.

Not (too) much
.
a response to greeting inquiries into what one has been doing.
J
OHN
: What have you been doing? M
ARY
: Not much
.
S
UE
: Been keeping busy? What are you up to? B
OB
: Not too much. S
UE
: Yeah. Me, too.

Not under any circumstances
.
Go to Under no circumstances.

not worth mentioning 1
.
not important enough to require a comment.
There are others, but they are not worth mentioning
.
A small number of books hint at the phenomenon, but they aren't worth mentioning
.
2
.
[of an error or wrong] not worth apologizing for.
This isn't a problem at all. It's not worth mentioning
.
No need to apologize to me. No harm done. It's not worth mentioning.

not worth
one's
while
not worth bothering with; not worth spending time on.
It's not worth my while to discuss it with you
.
Don't bother trying to collect money from them. It isn't worth your while.

Nothing. 1
.
I did not say anything.
M
ARY
: What did you say? S
UE
: Nothing.
T
OM
: Did you have something to say? What do you want? M
ARY
: Nothing
.
2
.
a response to greeting inquiries into what one has been doing.
B
OB
: What you been doing? M
ARY
: Nothing
.
B
ILL
: What have you been up to? M
ARY
: Nothing, really.