What does this common expression mean?
-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

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http://www.FreeMars.org/jeff/

"The other planets?
Well, they just happen to be there, but the point of rockets is to explore them!"
-- Kai Yeves

One who feels that the details or precision of a certain subject in a debate aren't of much importants or relevance. Or one who maybe finds a debate tiring or wants to keep it civil, and doesn't wish to stress very much emphasis on the subject.

My guesses anyways.

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Obedience brings victory
Victory is life
That is the order of things

Thanks. If your guesses are right, they should be what I need.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

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http://www.FreeMars.org/jeff/

"The other planets?
Well, they just happen to be there, but the point of rockets is to explore them!"
-- Kai Yeves

"Not to go into obsessive detail."

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

The expression is probably an allusion to the fact that if you over sharpen a tool the point can break off, leaving you with a usefles too. The same can apply to an argument, too much detail can reduce the force of the argument.

I have also seen the expression mean "to be blunt about it..." In this case, I guess the metaphore could be, why use a dagger when a club will do?

Jon

Not to mention: the funny thing is that "not to put too fine a point on it" is an apologetic phrase that usually precedes exactly that, putting too fine a point on it.

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Just like every other apologetic statement.

"I don't know the details, but..."
"I'm not racist, but..." (these ones are invariably the funniest)
"I'm not an expert in this area, but..."
"Not to put you down, but..."
"Not that it matters, but..."
"Not to generalize/simplify, but..."

Also, you used one, "not to mention," and then you mentioned it.

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"It's turtles all the way down."

Not that it matters, but I've used some of those in what I feel are entirely appropriate manners.

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Don of Borg - Cool, Calm, Collective.

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

If it doesn't matter, then why mention it?

(I am having fun with this!)

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"It's turtles all the way down."

...needless to say...

",,,,,and be that, as it may,,,"

"That may or may not be the case..."

"not to put too fine a point on it" is also used when making an arrow or dart that you want to have more of a blunt impact than a piercing one. Lol j/k.

"not that i'm an expert in linguistics but" there "may or may not be" a lot of use for statements "of this general manner". It's fun to "not put too fine a point on" things. That way you can never be proven wrong, as no one knows exactly what you're talking about.

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I'm like one of those idiot savants...well, except for the savant part.

"A long time ago, yet somehow in the future"

Don't forget "To be perfectly frank, . . ."

You know, it always seemed to me that "Not to put too fine a point on it" could be a legitimate, non-self-contradictory phrase.

In effect, the person is saying, "What I'm about to say may appear to be missing the forest for the trees, but it actually is important."

But I bet in actual usage, it's intended to preemptively excuse doing exactly what it says, much like "it goes without saying," or even, "I hate to say this, but..."

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SeanF

"Ask to understand, but don't challenge unless you have the knowledge."--NEOWatcher

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