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The working conditions are unhealthy, if not downright dangerous.

Does it mean

The working conditions are unhealthy, and probably extremely dangerous."

Jack
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  • The conditions are either dangerous, or **if not** that, unhealthy, – Michael Harvey Jan 07 '23 at 16:24
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    The most favourable way to describe them is 'unhealthy', but they could probably be better described as dangerous. – Kate Bunting Jan 07 '23 at 16:31
  • Does this answer your question? [What does "if not" mean in the given sentence](https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/27767/what-does-if-not-mean-in-the-given-sentence). Also [Meaning of "if not" in "if not {some trait}"](https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/229830/meaning-of-if-not-in-if-not-some-trait), and possibly others. – FumbleFingers Jan 07 '23 at 17:23

2 Answers2

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That's right.

In a disapproving context, "X if not Y", means "X and quite possibly Y, (which is worse)"

Colin Fine
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    I'm not sure "in a disapproving context" should be relevant here. *The working conditions are acceptable, **if not ideal** (which is "better").* But whereas using "acceptable" causes the entire utterance to imply ***if not*** means ***but not***, if we replace "acceptable" by "extremely good", it seems to me ***if not*** becomes somewhat ambiguous. – FumbleFingers Jan 07 '23 at 17:27
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    In an approving context, it can be ambiguous. Your example could mean "and they might be ideal", but I think it more often means "even though they are not ideal". It depends on tone of voice. – Colin Fine Jan 07 '23 at 17:31
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    snap! (do you owe me a coke, or do I owe you? :) – FumbleFingers Jan 07 '23 at 17:33
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You are partially correct. However, ... is X, if not Y is an idiom, and there is an additional meaning that is not obvious. In your example which is a negative situation, Y is a worse thing than X.

Another example.

This is untrue, if not a deliberate lie

This means something like: "It is untrue, but it's probably worse and is in fact a deliberate lie".

A similar way to say this is

This is untrue; at worst, [it is] a deliberate lie.

Note: For this idiom to work in negative situations, Y is usually a worse thing than X. However, you can also use it in a positive way, e.g., "... is good, if not superb", where Y is better than X.

Billy Kerr
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