Post edited 9:08PM – Jan-24-12 by EmmettRedd

A poorly maintained quaternary highway makes up half of the perimeter of my farm. About 2 miles north (on the corner where my grandfather attended (the second one-room) Coy School) was a big and deep chuckhole. Someone painted on the road, "FIX THIS HOLE" as a message to the Missouri Department of Transportation. I heard a cousin quip, "Forget fixing the hole. Fix the whole damn road."

The OED did not seem to have a definition that fit my cousin"s usage, i.e. don"t major on the minors and think the job is done when the original request is fulfilled.

Is anyone here familar with a definition of forget that would fit this usage or another verb to express my cousin"s sentiment?

Emmett

Added in edit: I think I finally figured it out. It is not a new meaning for forget; it is hyperbole. Ozarkers in general and my relatives in particular are skilled in it.

BTW, hyperbole is one of those words which is likely to be pronounced wrong if it is known only from reading.