Question on the use of 'but'

I would like to ask a question about the use of the conjunction 'but' in a specific sentence. Before I ask the question, I shall provide some context (for otherwise this answer will be closed).

Typically, when used as a conjunction, 'but' is used to indicate a contrast. For example, consider the below sentences:

I love sci-fi novels, but my brother hates them with a passion.

He is a conservative through and through, but his wife is an outspoken socialist.

She left at two o'clock, but I stayed until five.

In each of the above sentences, the coordinated clauses have different subjects, and 'but' is used to indicate a contrast between them. For instance, in the first sentence, the contrast is between my love of science-fiction novels and my brother's passionate hate of them; in the second, between his being a conservative and his wife's being an outspoken socialist; etc.

Now let us consider sentences consisting of two coordinates that have the same subject and which are coordinated by 'but'. Here are some examples of such sentences:

She has lived in Paris for 20 years, but speaks no French.

He is rich but mean.

He has many acquaintances but few friends.

In each of these sentences, 'but' serves to indicate a contrast; here, however, the contrast is not one of comparison, but one of implication (if I am not mistaken). In the first of the above sentences, for example, the first coordinate ('She has lived in Paris for 20 years') implies that, having lived in Paris for 20 years, she probably knows French (that being the main language spoken in Paris); however, this implication is ruled out by the second coordinate, which makes it clear that she speaks no French. Here, 'but' coordinates the two sentences in such a way that the implication of the first coordinate that she speaks French is not true, even though she has spent 20 years in Paris.

In the second of the above sentences, the first coordinate ('He is rich') identifies 'him' as being rich. That he is rich might lead one to believe that he is munificent, since many rich people (Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and others) have given large sums of money to charity; however, this is not true: he is in fact mean with his money, and the second coordinate (whose subject and verb are identified by the first) identifies him as being so. The contrast is indicated by 'but'.

I could go on and explain the third sentence, but I do not consider that necessary, since I have given more than enough context.

Now for my actual question, which is about the below sentence:

Hugh did not revere his boss [Steve], but grew to fear him.

How does the second coordinate rule out the relevant implication of the first? That is, how does the fact that Hugh does not revere his boss contrast with his growing to fear Steve?

While this is subjective, I would like to know what you think the contrast between the two coordinates is.

Thank you.

Solution 1:

There is contrast in the example sentence:

Hugh did not revere his boss [Steve], but grew to fear him.

It states that, contrary to expectations of reverence, the reality is he fears his boss.

Consider similar examples:

• "It wasn't terse at all but verbose and long."
• "It didn't stick around but was deleted within the hour."
• "The mods weren't humoured but annoyed and indignant."