0
Foank Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Disguise

I was reading this particular /tinymce347/%20http:/books.google.com/books?id=HF0m3spOebcC&pg=PA83&dq=%22took+the+disguise+of%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vaCAUYHSL-rJiwLdo4C4Bw&ved=0CFsQ6AEwCTgU#v=onepage&q=%22took%20the%20disguise%20of%22&f=false:

"She took the disguise of an old woman and came to Eleusis, where she was welcomed by the family of King Celeus.

'Disguise' means costume. So, does it mean she took an old lady's clothes?
  

Top answer

'Disguise' does not simply mean 'costume', though in this case she would certainly wear an old woman's clothes. disguise v. to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something) (transitive) to misrepresent in order to obscure the actual nature or meaning n a mask, costume, or manner that disguises the act of disguising or the state of being disguised (Collins Dictionary)

— Rover_KE

  • 'Disguise' does not simply mean 'costume', though in this case she would certainly wear an old woman's clothes.
  • disguise v.
  • to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something) (transitive) to misrepresent in order to obscure the actual nature or meaning n a mask, costume, or manner that disguises the act of disguising or the state of being disguised (Collins Dictionary)
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
'Disguise' does not simply mean 'costume', though in this case she would certainly wear an old woman's clothes.

disguise
v.
  1. to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something)
0
0
I was suspecting that 'take the disguise of' is an idiom, but I couldn't find it in my dictionary,
0
0
No, it is not an idiomatic expression. It is a straightforward use of "take" in a relatively seldom-seen sense. It sounds slightly archaic to me. It means to assume the disguise of an old woman.
0

Related Questions