Buck is only just now getting around to this

“I know the word ‘only’ means ‘one of a kind,’” said Willis McWilliams, of Kingston, as he filled up at Curly’s Soonerco. “However, it is very often used in place of the word ‘just.’”

Willis also wants to know whether “only about” is a valid expression.

Buck figures “only” and “just” each have several meanings, and some of them are the same.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary says “just” can mean “only, merely, simply,” and “only” can mean “merely, just.”

So Buck thinks it makes no grammatical difference whether you say “I paid just a dollar for this watch” or “I paid only a dollar for this watch.” It’ll probably turn your wrist green either way.

Buck doesn’t object to “only about.” “About” means “somewhere in the neighborhood,” and “just” means “merely.” You might say that Phil T. Lucre has a net worth of about $50 million dollars. Gopher’s net worth, on the other hand, is in the neighborhood of $100, if you count what’s in his pocket but don’t count what he owes Honest Hank for the used tires he just bought.

So it’s OK to say that Gopher’s net worth is only about $100.

“Have you finished detailing Miss Lulabelle’s Cadillac?” asked Floyd as Gopher was having a Honey Bun and Pepsi for breakfast.

“I only just got here,” said Gopher.

“You just got here,” said Buck. “Only” and “just mean the same thing, so you’re being redundant.”

“You just watch your talk,” said Gopher. “If I ain’t done it the first time, how could I have redoned it?”