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Vermont Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary

Better spiel

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Hi,

"Got anything up your sleeve?" he inquired of Johnny. "If you have it's about time to show it. If you can borrow some gent's hat in the audience, and make a lot of customers for an idle stock
of shoes come out of it you'd better spiel. The boys have all laid in enough footwear to last 'em ten years;

What does 'come out of it you'd better spiel' mean? Maybe come out of hat more customers and your spile will be better? Or come out of it some better spiel?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Hi, Vermont, This is how I read the passage: If you have anything up your sleeve (=some hidden/secret ability) you should show it now. If you can borrown someone's hat in the audience and make customers for an idle (unnecessary/unneeded) stock of shoes come out of it (a reference to a magician taking a rabbit out of his hat; compares your abilities with a magician's ones) you'd better spiel (=advertise, speak persuadingly for the purpose of sale). The passage shows that the boys have laid in enough footwear to last them ten years (=have stored away a lot of shoes), so if you have the knack for persuading them to buy more shoes, you should go into the advertising business.

— Miche

  • Hi, Vermont, This is how I read the passage: If you have anything up your sleeve (=some hidden/secret ability) you should show it now.
  • If you can borrown someone's hat in the audience and make customers for an idle (unnecessary/unneeded) stock of shoes come out of it (a reference to a magician taking a rabbit out of his hat; compares your abilities with a magician's ones) you'd better spiel (=advertise, speak persuadingly for the purpose of sale).
  • The passage shows that the boys have laid in enough footwear to last them ten years (=have stored away a lot of shoes), so if you have the knack for persuading them to buy more shoes, you should go into the advertising business.
  • Hope this helps!
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1 Answers
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Hi, Vermont,

This is how I read the passage:

If you have anything up your sleeve (=some hidden/secret ability) you should show it now. If you can borrown someone's hat in the audience and make customers for an idle (unnecessary/unneeded) stock of shoes come out of it (a reference to a magician taking a rabbit out of his hat; compares your abilities with a magician's ones) you'd b
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