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Katrinarc Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

A solitary soul

Hi, I have problems understading who the "solitary soul" is in this paragraph (since I am from Argentina, I am not familiar with this kind of service).

Now I can recall a time when every garage was staffed by friendly men who filled the car up, checked the oil and even did the tyres, before an infernal machine encased a solitary soul in gas by the till, reading off the digits and charging you accordingly.

Thanks!
  

Top answer

Hi, I have problems understading who the "solitary soul" is in this paragraph (since I am from Argentina, I am not familiar with this kind of service). Now I can recall a time when every garage was staffed by friendly men who filled the car up, checked the oil and even did the tyres, before an infernal machine encased a solitary soul in gas by the till , reading off the digits and charging you accordingly. Here's the idea in basic terms.

— Clive

  • Hi, I have problems understading who the "solitary soul" is in this paragraph (since I am from Argentina, I am not familiar with this kind of service).
  • Now I can recall a time when every garage was staffed by friendly men who filled the car up, checked the oil and even did the tyres, before an infernal machine encased a solitary soul in gas by the till , reading off the digits and charging you accordingly.
  • Here's the idea in basic terms.
  • I remember when there were lots of workers in every garage.
  • Now there is just a single, lonely guy who sits in a little office, with lots of machines, and takes your money.
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2 Answers
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Hi,
I have problems understading who the "solitary soul" is in this paragraph (since I am from Argentina, I am not familiar with this kind of service).

Now I can recall a time when every garage was staffed by friendly men who filled the car up, checked the oil and even did the tyres, before an infernal machine encased a solitary soul in gas by the till,
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katrinarcbefore an infernal machine encased a solitary soul in gas glass by the till
"machine" makes no sense to me unless it's a metaphoric reference to the gasoline station company managers or directors.

a solitary soul = only one person (to contrast with 'a staff of friendly men')

This p
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