As

Question

Hello:I am having trouble trying to figure out the meaning of this sentence, a fragment of a short story by Nadine Gordimer:"He had never so much as kissed her, before, not on any evening walking home from the cinema, not when they were alone in the house and the opportunity was obvious as the discretion of the kitchen clock sounding through the empty passage, and the blind eye of the television set in the sitting-room"I cannot see which is the function and the meaning of "as". Perhaps you can help me or paraphrase it so that I can understand it.Thanks for your help.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi Juliaines;
Are you sure it isn't:

...the opportunity was as obvious as the discretion of the kitchen clock sounding through the empty passage,...

The first as is not essential, but adding it helps to understand the rest of the sentence. Does it make sense now?

Juliaines · Answer

It does make sense now. The first as is omitted though I did not know that was possible.

Thanks for your help!

As

"He had never so much as kissed her, before, not on any evening walking home from the cinema, not when they were alone in the house and the opportunity was obvious as the discretion of the kitchen clock sounding through the empty passage, and the blind eye of the television set in the sitting-room"

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...the opportunity was as obvious as the discretion of the kitchen clock sounding through the empty passage,...

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