I once heard a quadruple negative in conversation

[Orrex]

I worked at a restaurant/pizza shop years ago, and the quad-neg occurred in a playful exchange between a waitress and a cook.

COOK: Can you give me a cup of ice?

WAITRESS: (After filling the cup) Here. Now quit pestering me.

COOK: (Taking the cup) Thanks. And I won't never bother you no more, neither.

I felt privileged to witness it, and another coworker, despite having no particular interest in grammar, almost fell down laughing at the beauty of it.

[KatyMan]

1. I'm just guessin'

but ain't you never lived in the South?

[Orrex]

8. I lived in Texas briefly, but never the True South

I had very long hair at the time, and one evening I was hailed by several young men in a passing car.

"You should get a haircut," one of them advised. "I thought you were a girl and almost picked you up."

"Thanks," I said. "I'm flattered."

"I don't have a platter," he retorted as he drove off.


Well, it's not a quadruple-negative, but it's a single non sequitur at least.

[wildhorses]

2. now thats what I'm talkin' bout...

:applause:

[Sugar Smack]

7. Exactly.

Beautiful!!! :rofl: :applause:

[KurtNYC]

3. There's not no way none of that couldn't haven't happened!

that's 5! :woohoo:

[Orrex]

10. Well, that's cheating!

Sure, we can all come up with multiply negative constructions when we set out to do so, but the beauty of the natural quad-neg is its spontaneity. Any artifical poly-neg necessarily pales by comparison.

[LaurenG]

4. I think math rules apply to this

2 negatives equal a positive so 4 negatives are 2 positives.

well?

[wildhorses]

5. persactly

so then the fifth negative would take it back to a negative...right:shrug:

[LaurenG]

6. I don't know for sure but it sounds about right.

:silly:

[NashVegas]

9. Ah, But Consider Subsets

There's a comma involved.

[MissMillie]

11. Now that's talent

I'm quite impressed.