Ready for Anything

To give an indication of how I’m doing, this imagined conversation occurred to me on my way here (Assume Person B is a truthful person):

Person A: Are you ready for anything?

Person B: No.

Person A: Are you ready for anything?

Person B: Yes.

In the first instance of the question, ready-for-anything is an adjective.  Answering in the affirmative requires Person B to feel prepared for any eventuality-- Anything stands in for every conceivable possibility.  Person B knows there are very certainly situations that she is not prepared for, and being a truthful sort, answers in the negative.  In the second instance, ready is alone an adjective and “for anything” adverbially modifies it.  In this case, any stands in only for the at least one case for which person B feels prepared.  She is at least prepared to answer this question, so she answers in the affirmative.  The above dialogue with stage directions:

Person A (cheerfully and optimistically): Are you ready for anything?

Person B: No.

Person A:  (quizzically) Are you ready for anything?

Person B: Yes.

So, to your question about how I’m doing, in the extremely unlikely event that my boss asks me in my meeting this morning if I’m ready for anything, I am now prepared to say Yes.