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Rpsh Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary

As if I wan selling buttons at the door

"To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!"

Is it a idiom? And what does it mean?
  

Top answer

It's not an idiom, I don't think. I believe it means exactly what it says. The speaker was convinced that Belladonna Took's son would say "good morning" to a random person selling buttons at the door, but never to him -- and therefore was genuinely shocked when he actually was "good-morninged".

— Ozzourti

  • It's not an idiom, I don't think.
  • I believe it means exactly what it says.
  • The speaker was convinced that Belladonna Took's son would say "good morning" to a random person selling buttons at the door, but never to him -- and therefore was genuinely shocked when he actually was "good-morninged".
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16 Answers
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It's not an idiom, I don't think. I believe it means exactly what it says.

The speaker was convinced that Belladonna Took's son would say "good morning" to a random person selling buttons at the door, but never to him -- and therefore was genuinely shocked when he actually was "good-morninged".
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I think the situation was that he was greeted as though he were a stranger, instead of being recognized at once.
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Hats off to Blue Jay. I think he's hit the nail right on the head.

I assumed the speaker was surprised by the fact that he was greeted, not that he was greeted as if he were a stranger.
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It's been a few years since I read it, but I'm pretty sure it's from The Hobbit, when Gandalf shows up at Bilbo's house.
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Blue JayIt's been a few years since I read it, but I'm pretty sure it's from The Hobbit, when Gandalf shows up at Bilbo's house.
That's right! So do you know what is "sell buttons"?
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It means what it says. If some one you didn't know showed up at your door selling something, such as buttons, life insurance, encyclopedias or whatever, you might say something like "Hello. Can I help you?" If it was an old friend you hadn't seen in years you might say something like "Good Lord! It's Fred! It's been years! Come on in!" Gandalf felt he had been greeted in the way he would expect a
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My ***! I think too much about it.Emotion: sweating
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Thank you so much!
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ozzourtiHats off to Blue Jay. I think he's hit the nail right on the head.I assumed the speaker was surprised by the fact that he was greeted, not that he was greeted as if he were a stranger.
I really curious about the first sentence you have written. What does it mean? Are they idioms ?
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ozzourtiIt's not an idiom, I don't think. I believe it means exactly what it says.The speaker was convinced that Belladonna Took's son would say "good morning" to a random person selling buttons at the door, but never to him -- and therefore was genuinely shocked when he actually was "good-morninged".
I'm not the less obliged by your good offer though I only a
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