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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary
give the vapors
0 Hello. Could anyone explain to me what the expression "give the vapors" mean? 02 br
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00 I think it means to make someone fume about something, but I'm not sure. 02 br
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00 I found the expression in an article that discusses the political life of Tony Blair, and the expression was found in the following sentence: But Blair was nobody's poodle. He and Bill Clinton had a near falling-out over the issue of gorund troops. (Blair was prepared to contemplate a ground invasion of Kosove, and idea that 01 b 00 gave 02 b 00 Clinton's team 01 b 00 the vapors 02 b 00 .) 02 br
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00 Please help, and thanks a lot in advance. 0-
02 br
00 I think it means to make someone fume about something, but I'm not sure. 02 br
02 br
00 I found the expression in an article that discusses the political life of Tony Blair, and the expression was found in the following sentence: But Blair was nobody's poodle. He and Bill Clinton had a near falling-out over the issue of gorund troops. (Blair was prepared to contemplate a ground invasion of Kosove, and idea that 01 b 00 gave 02 b 00 Clinton's team 01 b 00 the vapors 02 b 00 .) 02 br
02 br
00 Please help, and thanks a lot in advance. 0-
Top answer
0 Back in Victorian times, when women wore very constricting clothing, they were prone to fainting. 02 br 00 Colloquially, it means to give someone a shock - enough to make them faint - but it is always used figuratively. 0-
- 0 Back in Victorian times, when women wore very constricting clothing, they were prone to fainting.
- 02 br 00 Colloquially, it means to give someone a shock - enough to make them faint - but it is always used figuratively.
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2 Answers
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0 Back in Victorian times, when women wore very constricting clothing, they were prone to fainting. This (at least in literature) was often induced by shock - be it bad news or bad manners. 02 br
00 Such fainting was referred to as "having the vapours". 02 br
00 Colloquially, it means to give someone a shock - enough to make them faint - but it is always used figuratively. 0-
00 Such fainting was referred to as "having the vapours". 02 br
00 Colloquially, it means to give someone a shock - enough to make them faint - but it is always used figuratively. 0-
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It means to overwhelm or make someone overcome with emotion. Nervousness, dizziness, etc.... Think of the feeling you get when you have to give a speech in front of a large crowd. That's enough to give anyone "the vapors".
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