who should not
32
9.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
quién no
- While I appreciate your kind words, I must remind you that I should not take all the credit for this project.
Examples
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Many people say we should not boast about our success, but I think it's okay sometimes to share our achievements.
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Here are ten excellent reasons why you should not operate a vehicle without car insurance.
Blog text (1) -
Indeed, it seems appropriate to us that a disturbed individual should not be employed in treating other disturbed individuals.
Academic text (1994) -
First, U.S. armed forces should not enter hostilities without adequate domestic support.
Academic text (1991) -
More generally, a government should not judge the adequacy of its reserves in relation to the value of imports.
Academic text (1999) -
Changing regulatory regimes midstream is costly and should not be done without good reason.
Academic text (1990) -
His vehemence was notorious, but this should not detract from the achievements of his main writings.
Academic text (1999) -
Taifa suggests that this behavior might constitute emotional distress or be considered annoying but should not be criminalized.
Academic text (1994) -
But, as Kegley and others warn, theorists should not readily abandon the realist paradigm.
Academic text (1994) -
It's important to remember that we should not push ourselves too hard, as self-care is essential for our well-being.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense is directly built from the literal meanings: 'who' forms a rhetorical question, 'should' expresses expectation/obligation, and 'not' negates it, so together they imply 'there is no one who should not' (i.e. everyone should). This rhetorical/modal-negative pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the words and basic question/negation usage can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Who should not comes from a short, almost joking question people add after praising themselves. Imagine someone saying 'I did well' and then adding who should not as if saying 'I shouldn't say this', so that small question softens the praise and shows 'modesty'.