Is this a snowclone? I can’t find it in the database or on the queue. It’s certainly a different use of ‘believe’ than “I don’t believe in unicorns”. In this special use of believe, the speaker does in fact believe X exists, but they disagree with it in some way.
a) I Don't Believe In Failure. | X = deverbal nominal |
While X is almost always a noun, it can be a VP as in (d), and it’s often an eventive nominal as in (e) or a deverbal nominal as in (a).
2 comments:
I'll leave myself a comment: the vast majority of Google instances of this construction were of the 'I don't agree with X' kind, not the 'I don't believe X exists' kind.
I think there's a case for it.
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