2009/10/30

「how come」はどういう意味ですか?

This guy I saw on the train the other day cracked me up.
  • crack up - 大笑いさせる、爆笑{ばくしょう}させる、ゲラゲラ笑いだす (definition from Eijiro on the Web)
His shirt says:
  • LAND LORD EXTREME
A landlord is a person who rents their property to others.
  • 大屋 (おおや) (n) landlord; landlady; (P); (definition from Edict)
In English-speaking countries, we often use "extreme" to describe something exciting or dangerous, like "extreme sports".
  • extreme sports - 極限スポーツ、アドレナリンを極端{きょくたん}に増加{ぞうか}させるような新種{しんしゅ}のスポーツ◆バンジー・ジャンプなど
What I want to know is how come somebody decided that there was anything extreme about being a landlord?

"How come" is a casual conversational way to say "why". Notice, though, that the usage is a bit different. In particular, notice the position of the subject and the verb.
  • how come どうして、なぜ◆【同】why
○ Why did you do that? (standard English)
× How come did you do that?
How come you did that? (casual spoken English)

○ Why are you standing there?
× How come are you standing there?
How come you are standing there?
Even more than the reason someone made such a sweatshirt, how come he decided to buy it? I'm warning you: don't wear anything with English writing unless you are sure about what it means.

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