plus-minus zero

[perpend]

I wrote this, and now I think I'm making it up, or translating it from German.

Let's say you had a bunch of experiences in a certain area, and after having experienced them you say: Overall, it was plus-minus zero.

This is meant to mean that it was neither overly positive, nor overly negative.

Does it make sense?

 

[owlman5]

It doesn't make any sense to me, perpend. If we were talking and you dropped that one into the conversation, I'd have to ask you for an explanation. Maybe it will make more sense to mathematically-minded people. I'm sure not one of those.

 

[Oahawhool]

in english In English, we call that 'i got I got nothing from it'

 

[dadane]

If you look at it from a mathematical viewpoint, it means it was absolutely precise with no possible error, so that doesn't work.

I did however grasp your intended meaning of 'Overall, it was net zero-ish' straight away.

 

[mojolicious]

It's difficult without any context, but if I was writing about my culmulative 'emotional impression' of a number of events then I'd use phrases such as 'it all evened/balanced out'. Obviously this is rather colloquial; a construction using 'neutral' would sound more analytical.

 

[dadane]

in In english English, we call say that 'i I got nothing from it'

It may have escaped your attention that perpend is an English speaker.

 

[perpend]

Thanks bunches. I now realize that I have this stuck in my brain from German, so I was forcing it.

Your contributions have made me think I mean: It's right in the middle.

Thanks for the thoughts, mathematically and lesser maths. Excellent.

EDIT: Hi Oahawhool, #7, I don't quite mean it in that way, but thanks, nonetheless.

 

[CopperKettle]

May the "zero-sum experience" be a way to put it in words?

 

[perpend]

Like it. Thanks, CopperKettle. This is about a sequence/series of experiences, but "zero-sum" is a great term.

 

[sound shift]

This usage exists in Dutch, so I had a hunch about the meaning before I read your explanation. Seeing the context on a screen also helps, but I'm sure that the man in the street (as well as owlman - post 2) would have to ask you to explain if you used this in conversation.

 

[dadane]

Fair point soundshift, I'm the English half of a half-Dutch household, this probably explains why I instantly understood the meaning too.