The One Off Meltdown

[Herlock Sholmes]

I can’t help it if the Victorians don’t make sense.

Today we qualify it and say “That was quite a moment”.

Try telling someone that was a moment and you might get “the look”.

So what’s the necessity of saying the one occasion is “one of”. Just say it was “a” moment. We already know it’s one event. I know the answer.

All you're doing here Lombro, is confusing two different definitions of the word "moment". One means "a brief period of time", the other means "importance".

Say what you like about the Victorians but they were capable of speaking and understanding English.

[Lombro2]

“One of moment” is a Victorian turn of phrase that became an expression still used today.

30 examples to be found on Google books from the 19th Century. 30 for something normal and positive.

”One off (blank)” is another expression. But it’s used as a negative more than a positive.

So how many examples would you think to find if it was a coinable phrase in Victorian England with the automatic personal usage in the negative connotation, and the word “off” in it, when there are so many more genteel words you can use?

[Herlock Sholmes]

“One of moment” is a Victorian turn of phrase that became an expression still used today.

30 examples to be found on Google books from the 19th Century. 30 for something normal and positive.

”One off (blank)” is another expression. But it’s used as a negative more than a positive.

So how many examples would you think to find if it was a coinable phrase in Victorian England with the automatic personal usage in the negative connotation, and the word “off” in it, when there are so many more genteel words you can use?

Lombro, in no way is "one of moment" an expression but, more than that, I literally have no idea what it's got to do with the diary.

I also have no idea why you are categorising things as "negative" and "positive", what criteria you are using to do this or, again, what any of it has to do with the diary.

I'm sadly unable to answer the question in your final paragraph because it doesn't appear to be written in a language I understand or recognize.

[Lombro2]

Don't have another meltdown.

after rain this was one of moment i felt like the sky was



Flickr
https://www.flickr.com › photos
after rain this was one of moment i felt like the sky was nothing but a paint. spring afternoon. Done. Loading comments... Add comment. 6 views. 0 faves.John 18:35 Commentaries: Pilate answered, "I am not a ...



Bible Hub
https://biblehub.com › commentaries › john
He admits that it was from the accusation of others; but then he tells the Saviour that the charge was one of moment, and worthy of the deepest attention. Kings visiting Hobbiton Village



TravelArk
https://v2.travelark.org › travel-blog-entry › cyberjai
That was one of moment where we felt Singapore is not a costlier place to live and eat. No doubt about it. For ex: Egg mayo Panini costs around 9 NZD and ...



Quora
50+ answers · 9 years ago
I know I should do it face to face but It was one of moment which we really want to happen now and so I texted her some general things and ...
52 answers · Top answer: I was a portrait artist making top money in a zoo. One-day, a young and beautiful girl approached ... Hidden moments at Hidden Agenda



Indian Kanoon
https://indiankanoon.org › doc
The learned counsel for the petitioner contends that the decision of the detaining authority was one of moment and of great consequence so far as the detenu ... Apex Fintech Solutions Study | Moment







This is why I should teach English and you should go back to teaching French verb conjugation.

[Lombro2]

Capisce now? Everything started in the 60s. Orsam knows!

[Lombro2]

Wait! I found "bugger off" in 1861 in the Vermont Supreme Court journal.

Oh no! It says, "get the bugger off".

Better keep looking.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Don't have another meltdown.

after rain this was one of moment i felt like the sky was



Flickr
https://www.flickr.com › photos
after rain this was one of moment i felt like the sky was nothing but a paint. spring afternoon. Done. Loading comments... Add comment. 6 views. 0 faves.John 18:35 Commentaries: Pilate answered, "I am not a ...



Bible Hub
https://biblehub.com › commentaries › john
He admits that it was from the accusation of others; but then he tells the Saviour that the charge was one of moment, and worthy of the deepest attention. Kings visiting Hobbiton Village



TravelArk
https://v2.travelark.org › travel-blog-entry › cyberjai
That was one of moment where we felt Singapore is not a costlier place to live and eat. No doubt about it. For ex: Egg mayo Panini costs around 9 NZD and ...



Quora
50+ answers · 9 years ago
I know I should do it face to face but It was one of moment which we really want to happen now and so I texted her some general things and ...
52 answers · Top answer: I was a portrait artist making top money in a zoo. One-day, a young and beautiful girl approached ... Hidden moments at Hidden Agenda



Indian Kanoon
https://indiankanoon.org › doc
The learned counsel for the petitioner contends that the decision of the detaining authority was one of moment and of great consequence so far as the detenu ... Apex Fintech Solutions Study | Moment







This is why I should teach English and you should go back to teaching French verb conjugation.

I would love to know what, in your mind, you think you've achieved by posting those five extracts? You could post another 100 examples of people using the words "one of moment" and it still wouldn't make it an expression, if that's what you think you're doing.

It has the same meaning as "one of importance". Is "one of importance" an expression in your mind?

What about "one of beauty", "one of charm", "one of interest", "one of sorrow", "one of happiness", "one of mystery" etc.? Are these all expressions, do you think? They're all doing the same thing!!

I appreciate that you seem to have discovered a new meaning for the word "moment" this week and that you're in a state of awe and wonder but has it occurred to you that everyone else on this board can speak English?

Also, what do the words "one of moment" have to do with they diary?

[Herlock Sholmes]

Wait! I found "bugger off" in 1861 in the Vermont Supreme Court journal.

Oh no! It says, "get the bugger off".

Better keep looking.

Is it your intention to investigate the origins of every expression with the word "off" in it, even when it has a different meaning to the "off" in "one off instance" and cannot be found in the diary?

Are you now labouring under the misapprehension that I’ve somewhere suggested that the words ‘one,’ ‘off’ and ‘instance’ don’t exist?

Well, good luck with that, Lombro. One thing you might want to bear in mind, though. David Orsam made clear that he didn't use Google Ngrams when doing his research into the origins of "one off" because it's not designed for that purpose and can produce misleading results.

[Lombro2]

Since you rattled off numerous examples of “one of” referring to something spectacularly unique, and since Victorian books, as say the Bible, still have “of” spelled as “off”, I don’t know what you think you’ve accomplished with your meltdown over “one off instance”. There’s nothing “one of” or “one off” about “one off instance”.

Extraordinary claim require extraordinary proof. You can do a Melvin and say there’s nothing extraordinary about the diary so you can avoid the heavy onus but that’s just running away from the subject. Nothing wrong with running off though.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Since you rattled off numerous examples of “one of” referring to something spectacularly unique, and since Victorian books, as say the Bible, still have “of” spelled as “off”, I don’t know what you think you’ve accomplished with your meltdown over “one off instance”. There’s nothing “one of” or “one off” about “one off instance”.

Extraordinary claim require extraordinary proof. You can do a Melvin and say there’s nothing extraordinary about the diary so you can avoid the heavy onus but that’s just running away from the subject. Nothing wrong with running off though.

Whoaa, hold on there, Lombro. What are you talking about?

I've not rattled off any examples of "one of" referring to something spectacularly unique. I can't even work out if you made a typo or you meant "one off", which is worrying.

What Victorian books have "of" spelled as "off"?

What do you mean by "your meltdown" over "one off instance"? I didn't start this thread. I haven't had a meltdown.

What does "There’s nothing “one of” or “one off” about “one off instance”" actually mean?

If your posts are being written in a language other than English, could you please identify it so that I can try and find an online translator for it.

[The Baron]

Understanding "one of Instance" (1859 Usage)

From the 1859 Scottish Jurist excerpt:
"...and substantially the question is one of instance."

In this legal context, “one of instance” suggests a question hinging on a particular case, example, or occurrence, not a general rule or pattern. It refers to a specific, situational act, judged in isolation.

So, "one of instance" can be paraphrased as:

a matter of a single example, something arising from or defined by a single event,
not habitual, not systemic just this.

Applying this to the apology in the diary
now

“I apologized, a one off instance, I said, which I regretted…”

The speaker is characterizing the apology, and by extension, the act requiring it, as a singular event, not reflective of a recurring behavior. This mirrors the logic behind the historical legal usage, to isolate a moment and frame it as an exception, not as a revealing pattern.

Despite the disturbing content of the speaker’s actions, the rhetorical strategy is clear:

-Minimize the incident by portraying it as a one time slip.
-Isolate the apology as a corrective gesture.
-Deploy the language of singularity (“a one off instance”) to seal off accountability.

The apology is not meant to open a dialogue.. it’s meant to close the case.
"I did not show my hand true."

The narrator admits to manipulation, which underscores the apology’s strategic, not emotional, nature.

This is where "one of instance" comes in. It’s technical language, repurposed. And while the speaker writes "one off instance" that phrasing reads as a linguistic slip or mutation, possibly from intoxication, possibly just a common error, but the semantic intent remains crystal clear, isolate the act, contain the damage, and move on.

Language as alibi in the 1859 usage from The Scottish Jurist, "one of instance" defines a matter of a singular, case specific occurrence.

In 19th century usage, "one of instance" meant exactly what it sounds like, a matter hinging on a particular, isolated case, not a pattern, not a general rule. That language existed, and it meant precisely what the diary’s narrator is trying to convey, a singular event, cordoned off from character.

Those shouting that "one off instance" is anachronistic, that it didn’t exist in 1888 and therefore proves the diary is a modern hoax.. have not only misunderstood the phrase, they’ve misunderstood how language works.

They’ve latched onto a surface reading, unaware that beneath it lies a deep, documented, and historically valid form: “one of instance.” Found in legal discourse, used to isolate a singular case, and twisted here — brilliantly — into the diary’s own manipulative cadence.

Is it written “one off” instead of “one of”?
Yes. And?
That kind of slip.. whether born of intoxication, imperfect transcription, or the author's own speech habits, is irrelevant. The rhetorical function is intact. The speaker is framing an apology as an isolated, unrepeatable event. That’s the whole point. That’s exactly what “one of instance” always meant. And he’s doing it intentionally.
This is not modern slang awkwardly leaking into a Victorian forgery.. this is a natural linguistic evolution, a slippage rooted in 19th century expression, employed by someone more cunning than his readers, and certainly more cunning than his critics.

So the argument that this phrase proves a forgery?

Dead.
Dismantled.
Reduced to ashes under the weight of historical evidence and rhetorical analysis.

The phrase isn’t a red flag. It’s the watermark.
Not a mistake, but a move.
Not an error, but an edge.

This is a revelation!

It explains the diary’s phrasing perfectly and sheds light on the emotional truth beneath the surface.

He didn’t regret what he did.. he regretted apologizing for it!!

That apology was the one rare, singular moment he wished he could take back.

So here’s to language.. wild, venomous, vivid.. and to the thrill of discovery that lets us hear voices across centuries, clearer than ever.

Here’s to the one of instance.. a phrase that travels through time, guiding us to the heart of a confession.

This phrase buries the anti arguments beneath it, it’s evidence of rhetorical intelligence far beyond what the hoax theory can handle.

Cheers.



The Baron

[Iconoclast]

[B]Here’s to the one of instance.. a phrase that travels through time, guiding us to the heart of a confession. This phrase buries the anti arguments beneath it, it’s evidence of rhetorical intelligence far beyond what the hoax theory can handle.

This makes for interesting reading, TB - made all the more remarkable by your recent explosive control of your non-native language (as gauged by most of your earliest posts).

What I find most impressive is that you yourself are a hoax believer so congratulations on the honesty you have displayed in posting in such a way which undermines the one undeniable, unequivocal, incontrovertible thing that has to date been accused of proving the scrapbook a fake.

I raise a smile to you, sir.

[Yabs]

Probably worth putting the full sentence up..

“He is satisfied that the designation such as would support the instance of a summons and substantially the question is one of instance”

[Herlock Sholmes]

Probably worth putting the full sentence up..

“He is satisfied that the designation such as would support the instance of a summons and substantially the question is one of instance”

Cheers Yabs. Isn’t this level of desperation embarrassing? Worse than that, it’s simply dishonest. No one couldn’t know of the actual full quote. A child could have seen it. The bottom of the barrel is constantly being scraped and when it is we see a defender applauding it. A dose of reason might be nice for a change.

‘One Off Instance’ proves the diary a forgery. Despite the chicanery.

[Yabs]

Yes, it would appear that no matter how many words or letters you shuffle about or miss out, nothing from the Victorian era or before comes close to the 20th century understanding of “one off” to represent something that happens just once or something or someone that is unique.

It really shouldn’t be there in the diary.