まだいいほう / じゃないだけましじゃない / 何がなんでも / 一方 / だけは

Hi,

1. 「さあ、ロン、あなたなんか、まだいいほうよ。だいたい指が膿だらけじゃないだけましじゃない」

Many aspects of this give me trouble.

a) Does まだいいほう mean "(you are) still (= nevertheless) in a better situation (than me)"? I just wonder whether I am imagining a possible meaning for まだ based on English "still" = "nevertheless" ...

b) In the second sentence, I assume the first じゃない is a true negative, yes?

c) Does だけ mean "just" in the sense of "just the mere fact of not having pus-covered hands puts you in a better situation"?

d) Does the final じゃない have a sense like "isn't it (better)" (i.e. not a true negative)?

2. 「何がなんでも、この仕返しはさせていただくわ！」

a) Does 何がなんでも mean something like "whatever happens ..."?

b) Is させていただく sarcastic-humble?

3. なにしろイースター休暇を控え、勉強の量が増える一方だったからだ。

(It has previously been explained that Hermione did not ask Harry to help with a task. This sentence is explaining why Harry was glad about this.)

a) Does 一方 imply that the amount of work was one reason why Harry was glad (i.e. means something like "for one thing, ...")?

b) What is the reason for だ on the end?

4. 宿題をこなすだけでもハリーは目一杯だったが、定期的に山の洞窟にいるシリウスに食べ物を送ることだけはやめなかった。

I know だけは is a set expression meaning something like "at least ...", but I am uncertain exactly what it is conveying in this sentence. Does it imply that, while he may have neglected other things (due to being so busy), he didn't neglect to send the food to Sirius?

1) a)
not enough but better than~ / less worse than~

まだ【未だ】
［副］《「いまだ」の音変化》
６ 十分ではないが、他にくらべればよいほうだという気持ちを表す。どちらかといえば。まだしも。「寒いのは―我慢できる」「退くよりは進むほうが―ましだ」

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まだ【未だ】の意味 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書

まだ【未だ】
3 〔どちらかと言えば〕
このほうがまだましだ
This is less unsatisfactory than that.／This is not as bad as that.
これでもまだ大きいほうです
Even this is a relatively large one.

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まだ【未だ】の英語・英訳 - 和英辞書 - 英語辞書 - goo辞書

b)
Yes.

c)
だけ refers to an extent, as in 分だけ. Ron is better than me (even) just by not having pus-covered hands.

−だけ
3 〔限定された分量〕
私は月に2万円だけは貯金したい
I want to save at least twenty thousand yen every month.
10センチだけ余る［足りない］
It is too long [short] by ten centimeters.
りんごは一つだけ余る
There is one apple too many.
私より二つだけ若い
She is two years younger than I am.
みそを500円分だけください
Give me 500 yen's worth of miso.

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だけの英語・英訳 - 和英辞書 - 英語辞書 - goo辞書

d)
Yes.

2) a) b)
Yes.

3) a)
The amount of work Harry had to do was increasing more and more.

いっぽう【一方】
３ （副助詞的に用いて）もっぱらその方向・方面にかたよること。…するばかり。だけ。「太る―」「蓄える―の人」

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いっぽう【一方】の意味 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書

いっぽう【一方】
3 〔それだけ〕
川の水は増す一方である
The (water level of the) river 「is steadily [just goes on] rising.
氷は厚くなる一方だった
The ice grew thicker and thicker.

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いっぽう【一方】の英語・英訳 - 和英辞書 - 英語辞書 - goo辞書

b)
The copula. The reason was that~.

4)
That's right.

Thank you.

1a. Does ほう refer to the addressee's position/situation as contrasted with the speaker's?

3b. This is more context:
しかし、ハーマイオニーはリータ・スキーターの復讐にハリーやロンの手を借りようとはしなかった。二人にとってそれはありがたいことだった。なにしろイースター休暇を控え、勉強の量が増える一方だったからだ。

I think my problem is that I am expecting a meaning like "XはYからだ", yet I don't see what X is. Is X mentioned, or is it just implied to be something like "reason"?

Would this passage still be grammatical without the final だ?

4. 宿題をこなすだけでもハリーは目一杯だったが、定期的に山の洞窟にいるシリウスに食べ物を送ることだけはやめなかった。

Does the first だけ refer to extent? Is it the same kind of usage as in (1c)?

1) a)
Yes, that's right.

3) b)
X is 二人にとってそれはありがたいことだった. (The translation should be "The amount of work they(Harry and Ron) had to do".)

It's valid without だ, but sounds like someone's words (or colloquial narration) rather than the style of the narration used there.

4)
Not really. It's "only/just". (It's not comparison.)

Toritoribe said:

3) b)
X is 二人にとってそれはありがたいことだった.

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Wouldn't X be 二人にとってそれはありがたいこと? I realise this probably seems like a nit-picky question, but actually I think it is the root of my difficulty. To me, AはＢこと／Cからだ and AはＢことだった／Cから seem logical, but AはＢことだった／Cからだ doesn't. Does this make any sense?

Toritoribe said:

(The translation should be "The amount of work they(Harry and Ron) had to do".)

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Yeah, I realise that, thanks. I think I may have momentarily forgotten who it was referring to somewhere earlier.

二人にとってそれはありがたいことだった。（それは/その理由は）なにしろイースター休暇を控え、勉強の量が増える一方だったからだ。 makes more sense? As you know, it's quite common to omit the subject in Japanese sentences when it's obvious from the context. Or rather, the concept "to omit" might not be appropriate. We don't omit the words we don't need to say. We only say what we have to say. (This is a quotation of a Japanese linguist's essay Glenn-san posted somewhere in this forum.)

Toritoribe said:

二人にとってそれはありがたいことだった。（それは/その理由は）なにしろイースター休暇を控え、勉強の量が増える一方だったからだ。 makes more sense?

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Yes, thank you, it does.