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Can I use the phrase 'nigh-on-impossible' in a report?

English Language & Usage Asked by AdamMcquiff on March 25, 2021

I’m currently writing an academic report and I began to write out the phrase ‘nigh-on-impossible’ without a second thought. It then occurred to me that this phrase may actually be slang.

I did a quick Google search and someone on Yahoo answers stated:

Nigh is the Old English word for “near”. The phrase means “nearly
impossible”. There is an alternative: “well nigh impossible” Source

With this in mind, would be it appropriate to use a phrase with such origins in an academic report?

2 Answers

Nigh (archaic) means ‘near’.

As in ‘when winter is nigh’, nearly winter. Or ‘Evening is nigh’ - almost evening.

It still shows up in idioms like ‘nigh on impossible’ as you mention.

But that’s not what I dislike about it, for an academic report or serious piece of writing.

What I dislike about it, is that it’s rather woolly.

‘Almost impossible’

What’s that? Surely if something is ‘impossible’ it means it can’t be done. Adding ‘nigh on’ or ‘almost’ to ‘impossible’ - takes something immutable that definitely can’t be done - an imposing mountain that can never be climbed and adds a woolly little cloud to it that says ‘oooh - maybe!’

Although it is, really, correct in English it just sounds a bit - unscientific.

Instead, how about

  • Extraordinarily difficult
  • Highly unlikely to succeed
  • Phenomenally treacherous
  • Outside of predictions
  • A fools errand
  • A Herculean task
  • Monstrously complicated
  • Like an ant trying to scale Everest - highly unlikely

In other words, I would explore other more creative ways of painting a picture of the difficulty of the task without resorting to this idiom.

Correct answer by Jelila on March 25, 2021

Throughout my life, I have heard many people say eg “It’s nigh-on ten years since ......” and I’ve never considered it odd. Nigh-on does not appear to be so uncommon in this context.

Answered by Gaynor Barnes on March 25, 2021

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