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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Holds stock full of rum

Hello,

In the book "Parrot and Olivier in America" (Peter Carey), I came across the following sentence:

"All around us everyone was the same - soldiers, convicts, even captains with their holds stock full of rum."

Context: Parrot describes his life in Australia (in a penal colony). In the previous context he says that the currency in Australia was in fact rum (which means that people drank a lot). I don't understand the phrasse "holds stock full of rum". Does the "holds stock" mean "a store room" in the lower deck, or is it something different, perhaps a stock room which is not on a ship?

Thank you for your answers.
  

Top answer

I am fairly sure the author is refering to the captains' stomachs. It is a metaphor comparing the captains' stomachs with their ships' holds. but evokes the image of them rolling around like a ship on a rough sea.....

  • I am fairly sure the author is refering to the captains' stomachs.
  • It is a metaphor comparing the captains' stomachs with their ships' holds.
  • but evokes the image of them rolling around like a ship on a rough sea.....
  • All the best.
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1 Answers
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I am fairly sure the author is refering to the captains' stomachs. It is a metaphor comparing the captains' stomachs with their ships' holds.

It just means very drunk...but evokes the image of them rolling around like a ship on a rough sea.....

All the best.

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