“Cannot be Underestimated”

The New York Review of Books notes:

Moreover, Iranian paranoia about the US cannot be underestimated. Alerting the Iranian government in advance to the timing and objectives of each of the steps described above would avoid a negative reaction. It would also prepare the way for a major new approach to the issues concerning nuclear enrichment, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The authors use “cannot be underestimated” to express the exact opposite of the meaning they wish to convey.
My favorite such mistake is still Rod Stewart’s, “Just let your inhibitions run wild.”

Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on January 16th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

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