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Usenet Posted 19 years ago
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Heart-balm
I wonder the exact meaning of heart-balm used in this context, (background: 1910s America)
"Before you go, Bland," remarked Magee, smiling, "I want to ask about Arabella. Where did you get her?"
"Some of it happed to a friend of mine," the ex-haberdasher answered, "a friend that keeps a clothing store. I got this suit there. I changed the story, here and there. He didn't write her no note, though he thought seriously of it. and he didn't run away and hide. The last I seen of him he was testing the effect of the heart-balm on sale behind the swinging doors."
Balm means "any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing"? So heart-balm means the balm rubbed at chest in order to soothe the heart-break one(Bland's friend) in this context?
Thanks,
Donghoon
"Before you go, Bland," remarked Magee, smiling, "I want to ask about Arabella. Where did you get her?"
"Some of it happed to a friend of mine," the ex-haberdasher answered, "a friend that keeps a clothing store. I got this suit there. I changed the story, here and there. He didn't write her no note, though he thought seriously of it. and he didn't run away and hide. The last I seen of him he was testing the effect of the heart-balm on sale behind the swinging doors."
Balm means "any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing"? So heart-balm means the balm rubbed at chest in order to soothe the heart-break one(Bland's friend) in this context?
Thanks,
Donghoon
Top answer
Han Donghoon schrieb: [nq:1]I wonder the exact meaning of heart-balm used in this context, (background: 1910s America) "Before you go, Bland," remarked ... soothing"? [/nq] I'm not sure what this reference is to, but American saloons used to have swinging doors, so I suspect that the heart-balm being spoken of is alcohol.
- Han Donghoon schrieb: [nq:1]I wonder the exact meaning of heart-balm used in this context, (background: 1910s America) "Before you go, Bland," remarked ...
- soothing"?
- [/nq] I'm not sure what this reference is to, but American saloons used to have swinging doors, so I suspect that the heart-balm being spoken of is alcohol.
- Balm is is not just an ointment, it can be any soothing agency.
- So in this case the man with the broken heart is drowning his sorrows by getting drunk.
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1 Answers
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Han Donghoon schrieb:
[nq:1]I wonder the exact meaning of heart-balm used in this context, (background: 1910s America) "Before you go, Bland," remarked ... soothing"? So heart-balm means the balm rubbed at chest in order to soothe the heart-break one(Bland's friend) in this context?[/nq]
I'm not sure what this reference is to, but American saloons used to have swinging doors, so I suspect
[nq:1]I wonder the exact meaning of heart-balm used in this context, (background: 1910s America) "Before you go, Bland," remarked ... soothing"? So heart-balm means the balm rubbed at chest in order to soothe the heart-break one(Bland's friend) in this context?[/nq]
I'm not sure what this reference is to, but American saloons used to have swinging doors, so I suspect
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