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yreg

Table the motion. (discuss); Table the discussion. (postpone)

Continue the story. (keep reading); Continue the trial. (suspend)

Drop the album. (release); Drop the charges. (abandon)

Sanction an event. (approve); Sanction a country. (penalize)

Cleave to principles. (stick); Cleave wood. (split)

Clip keys to belt. (attach); Clip the hedges. (cut off)

Dust shelves. (remove); Dust pastries with sugar. (add)

Hold fast. (fixed in place); Walk fast. (moving quickly)

Make oversight. (omission); Provide oversight. (scrutiny)

Peruse the ancient manuscript. (read in detail); Peruse the magazine. (look through casually)

The alarm went off. (activated); Turn the alarm off. (deactivated)

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Head to either side of the street. (one or the other); Plant trees on either side of the street. (both)

It's yet to be found. (not found); Yet it's found. (found)

They're all but forgotten. (nearly); They're known but to God. (only)

Does "all but" always mean "nearly"? I've been conversing in English for 20 years now but this one eluded me.

I guess I am just unable to parse the words to piece together such a meaning. In my mind, there are two ways to interpret it: "this subject may be all kinds of things, but one thing it is not" (all but = everything except), or the opposite "this subject may be all kinds of things, but one thing it is for sure". And neither of these means "nearly" :(

Yes. I think the idea is that on the path of events or actions between the starting point and the target, you have already completed every single one, and all that remains now is the final step before you can call it done.

You've walked all but the last step of the journey.

Thank you, that makes sense!

The outcome of the meeting was negative (bad); the outcome of the cancer screening was negative (good)

That one doesn’t belong - if the meeting was deciding the death sentence, negative could be good.

These are known as contronyms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contronym

Mostly correct but peruse only means read in detail. Any other intended meaning is mistaken.

Both Merriam-Webster and Cambridge dictionaries disagree.

Funny, I noted that one but in the opposite direction. In North America I've never heard it used in anything but a casual sense. An unserious activity.

Agree with siblings. Living in NYC and born nearby, and I've always known peruse to mean casually browse. Flip through pages. NOT read in detail.

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