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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Going back on himself

So he walked around the town and over the bridges of K6nigsberg several times. To his surprise, he found that he could cross six of the bridges without going over any of them twice or going back on himself (see Fig 3), but he couldn't cross all seven. --about Euler paths

How to understand the preposition "on" here? Thanks.
  

Top answer

Anonymous going back on himself retracing his steps back over the same bridge; crossing a bridge, then crossing again in the opposite direction. I would treat this as an idiom rather than trying to find a very specific meaning for the preposition "on". com is this: 9 a —used as a function word to indicate destination or the focus of some action, movement, or directed effort <crept up on him> CJ

— CalifJim

  • Anonymous going back on himself retracing his steps back over the same bridge; crossing a bridge, then crossing again in the opposite direction.
  • I would treat this as an idiom rather than trying to find a very specific meaning for the preposition "on".
  • com is this: 9 a —used as a function word to indicate destination or the focus of some action, movement, or directed effort <crept up on him> CJ
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1 Answers
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Anonymousgoing back on himself
retracing his steps back over the same bridge; crossing a bridge, then crossing again in the opposite direction.

I would treat this as an idiom rather than trying to find a very specific meaning for the preposition "on". The closest meaning given at www.m-w.com is this:

9 a —used as a function word to in
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