if worn out ?

A J   Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:12 am GMT
With a three-hour running time and lavish special effects, King Kong left some moviegoers satisfied - if worn out.


The sentence is from a news titled "Some fans exhausted by manic 'Kong'"

What I don't understand is, what the hell does 'if worn out' mean?
Does it have something to do with the whole sentence?
Guest   Tue Dec 20, 2005 1:22 am GMT
I think is means that some moviegoers were tired (worn out) from sitting there and watching the movie for 3 hours.
Guest   Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:03 am GMT
satisfied - if worn out = worn out, yet satisfied
A J   Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:11 am GMT
How come?
Kirk   Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:18 am GMT
If you "wear something out" (like clothes) then it's old, overused, faded, etc.

So if someone is "worn out" they're tired/exhausted.
A J   Tue Dec 20, 2005 2:53 pm GMT
Thank you Kirk
but, what confuses me is ' if '.

It seems a bit off of its normal use, because to me, ' if ' is 'assuming'.
So, ' if they're worn out, they are satisfied' sounds like nonsense.
What would you say the meaning of 'if ' in this case ?
Max   Sat Dec 24, 2005 1:42 pm GMT
I think that "if" means "though/although" in this case.
A J   Sat Dec 24, 2005 3:05 pm GMT
Thank you very much.
I couldn't get convinced since my dictionary didn't carry the meaning.
Max   Sat Dec 24, 2005 3:46 pm GMT
A J

Maybe you need a more advanced dictionary.

Here's one of the definitions of the word "if" from Dictionary.com:

2. Although possibly; even though: It is a handsome if useless trinket.
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And the following is from LDOCE Online:

13 used when adding one criticism of a person or thing that you generally like:
The eldest son was highly intelligent, if somewhat lazy.
Lunch was a grand if rather noisy affair.
Kate   Sat Dec 24, 2005 9:58 pm GMT
Basically, that sentence could be rewritten as, "King Kong left some moviegoers satisfied, but worn out." or "King Kong left some moviegoers satisfied, even though they were worn out."

The original way was most likely used because headlines generally try to be as short and concise as possible. Also, it's less wordy and 'stuffy' than the other possibilities.