Difference between 'infer' and 'imply'

[NoVittyAte]

I'm currently enduring a dreadful Jason Statham action-flick. He has just been interrogating a suspect, who said she "...didn't do nothing".

Statham sneerily replies "You didn't do anything- 'didn't do nothing' is a double negative: it infers a positive."

It doesn't 'infer' anything, it implies that, you arsehat.

Ah, that's better. I name-changed for Chaos's nunfight thread and hadn't got round to switching back.

Love the moniker NoVittyAte,but am too stoopid to get diff between infer and imply and have been contemplating the two words.

[goes to Google]

I am thick :(

< Impressed >

I would agree, she would infer a positive, because that's what was implied.

Do I get a Super-Pedant award?

Mavis, 'infer' is a bit like 'deduce' or 'conclude'. So, somebody might imply that I am a nit-picking twat, but unless I inferred that from what they said, I would be too obtuse to be offended (thanks, WhatsWrongWithYou ).

Sorry he would infer the positive

'infer' is like deduce, ain't it? Whereas 'imply' is to give the impression that...

I am wondering why you're watching Jason Statham, BIF. This implies that you're somewhat lacking in grey matter. But I infer from your exceptional lexicon that this is not the case .

Ah I love Google.All is clear!(Worryingly though,I accidentally clicked on the ads above the dictionary definition and came up with an advert for brassieres.Weird.)

So, am I right, to infer is to draw a conclusion as a result of what's been implied?

Oh that's one of my pet hates . Cannot stand people not knowing the difference between infer and imply.

Snowdrop; he said that "it" (i.e. the double negative) inferred, not that he inferred, IYSWIM. So he was wrong.

Speedy- not my viewing choice, I assure you

That's it.

And I am curiously cheered by the use of the full word 'brassiere' from someone called Mavis. A Mavis wouldn't ever just say 'bra'.

Whoops- erroneous use of a semi-colon there, sorry. I meant to use the humble comma .

Quattro,I am sorry.:(

And people often think they're being terribly clever by saying infer when they mean imply, which makes it EVEN WORSE. Grr.

Jason Statham can speak in sentences? Wow.

I think expecting anything beyond that is optimistic tbh.

Arf at Grimma!

BOF, am I right to infer that a large g&t wouldn't go amiss right now?

(wonders if BOF has gone in search of a colon, which might have been acceptable in place of the semi...)

I did feel that the scriptwriters were fundamentally misunderstanding the casting to make him not merely an FBI agent, but also The Grammer Police (sic), Showy...

Hilariously Statham was clearly trying to sound smart!

Good point, Grimma. It's up here somewhere.

This thread is about ME isnt it? Go on admit it! As soon as I used the word 'infer' on the pants thread I got a dry mouth and sweaty palms because I KNEW i would be found out.

I DONT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

I only got 4 O levels.

Are you a tough-talking yet grammatically-challenged FBI agent, MrsDeVere? No? Then you are excused

It wasn't even the fact he got it wrong- it was getting it wrong while trying to be pedantic which got my goat. As HouseOfBamboo said, it really grates.

Oh the idea of Jason Statham attempting a grasp of the English language. The possibilities are endless.

"Die, die like a bitch. And that's a metaphor."

No tosspot, it's a simile.