This isn’t going to do any harm at all (in this context)

English translation: Typical British understatement

15:28 Nov 25, 2016

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

English term or phrase: This isn’t going to do any harm at all (in this context)

Hello everyone,

Following Conor’s Cage Warriors exploits, both in the cage and in interviews, there was a lot of excitement among the MMA community as the fight approached. It peaked during an interview with well‑known reporter Ariel Helwani live on his show, The MMA Hour. Conor had never been exposed to such a large audience, particularly in North America, so it was going to be intriguing to see how it all unfolded. His charisma and sense of humour had already made him popular with fans in Ireland and the UK, but would that also translate across the Atlantic?

I watched the interview and what I saw was Conor just being Conor – no act, no gimmick, what you see is what you get – so I wasn’t anticipating the incredible reaction that followed. The internet exploded. I really didn’t expect people to be so captivated by him. They thought he was hilarious and were intrigued by his confidence. I already knew he had the ability to fight his way to the top, but as I observed how people were so taken by his personality, I thought: This isn’t going to do any harm at all. From there, the media couldn’t get enough of him.

Of course I know the usual/standard meaning of the phrase in question.
But it sounds really odd (at least to me) in this particular context.

What exactly does it imply in the context above?
Does it mean there was no need to worry about that interview? -- "Conor had never been exposed to such a large audience, particularly in North America..."

Or does it mean it's a good thing that people like Conor?

Thank you.

Mikhail Korolev KudoZ activity Questions: 2414 (none open) (10 closed without grading) Answers: 130
Local time: 21:58

Selected answer:Typical British understatement

Explanation:
He's saying that the people liked Conor and that was a good thing. For some reason, we British don't like to say that a thing is positive so we say the opposite and then negate it. How's the soup? Not bad!

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Note added at 55 mins (2016-11-25 16:24:12 GMT)
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As Gallagy points out, the people involved here are Irish, not British. I guess they do it too. Next time I speak to any of my Irish friends, I will ask them.

Selected response from:

Terry Richards
France
Local time: 20:58

Grading comment

Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Terry.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +6

Typical British understatement

Terry Richards

4 +3

this is going to be useful

B D Finch

3 +1

Contrary to what many people had feared (including his coach), Connor was likely to become popular

Darius Saczuk

Discussion entries: 6

Darius Saczuk

United States

@Charles

11:18 Nov 26, 2016

I agree. In the US, understatements are commonly used, too. My point is that initially Kavanagh did not anticipate (I should not have used the word "feared") that people would react so well to Connor McGregor in light of his brash personality and verbal "antics". Obviously, he quickly realized that McGregor would soon become popular - a fan favorite. Just Like Floyd Mayweather helped boxing to "get up from the canvas", McGregor helped boost the popularity of the UFC. Maybe it is not the best analogy, but the same thing happened in a certain way with Donald Trump. Despite all the odds, his off-the-wall, "call a spade a spade" demeanor, at the end of the day helped him become the president. Now everybody wants a piece of him.

Mikhail Korolev

ASKER

11:12 Nov 26, 2016

Thank you, Charles.

Charles Davis

Spain

10:13 Nov 26, 2016

Kavanagh doesn't seem to have feared that Conor would make a bad impression; he was just surprised that he made such a good impression. So this is not literal. As Terry and Barbara have said, any British (or Irish) person would understand "not going to do any harm" to mean "going to do a lot of good". It's typical of the way people speak in these islands.

Mikhail Korolev

ASKER

Dariusz,

15:49 Nov 25, 2016

"I watched the interview..." is said by John Kavanagh, Conor's coach. It's from the book by John Kavanagh, Win or Learn.

I should have indicated it when posting the question -- sorry about that .

Darius Saczuk

United States

Compare Connor to Donald Trump

15:44 Nov 25, 2016

Quite contrary to what many people had feared, McGregor's brashness and outspoken persona was going to actually make him a fan favorite. Connor speaks his mind and does not mince words - something that does not sit well many "politically correct" individuals in the US. One would assume that this might cause his marketing downfall. However, McGregor quickly became extremely popular in the United States and as of now is the hottest commodity in the MMA community.

Darius Saczuk

United States

klp

15:33 Nov 25, 2016

Who says, "I watched the interview..."?

Answers

23 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

this isn’t going to do any harm at all (in this context) Contrary to what many people had feared (including his coach), Connor was likely to become popular

Explanation:
P

Darius Saczuk
United States
Local time: 14:58
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Polish,

English
PRO pts in category: 124

31 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

this isn’t going to do any harm at all (in this context) this is going to be useful

Explanation:
This seems to be an example of a deliberate understatement being used to mean a positive. My father tended to use this very expression in that way. It took me years to realise that when he said something I did wasn't bad, that was his idea of praise.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 20:58
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 192

23 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

this isn’t going to do any harm at all (in this context)

Typical British understatement

Terry Richards
France
Local time: 20:58
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 120

Grading comment

Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Terry.

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English translation: Typical British understatement

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