In thrall, grasp at straws
Hi,
1) Can 'in thrall to someone' be used when you want to say that someone is under someone else's power or is it too formal?
For instance: "Most of the politicians were in thrall to the Nazis." "Most of the politicans were under the power of the Nazis."
2) If somebody is giving an interview in French but doesn't speak the language very well and therefore combines- let's say German words with French words to salvage the situation, can I say that the person is grasping at straws?
3) If I was driving at 200 km/hour, could I say that "I squeezed 200 km/hour out of my car today." Perhaps there's a different way of saying it.
Thank you.
Top answer
1) Can 'in thrall to someone' be used when you want to say that someone is under someone else's power or is it too formal? " You can say it, but it's not a word you hear often. many people are likely not to understand it.
- 1) Can 'in thrall to someone' be used when you want to say that someone is under someone else's power or is it too formal?
- " You can say it, but it's not a word you hear often.
- many people are likely not to understand it.
- 2) If somebody is giving an interview in French but doesn't speak the language very well and therefore combines- let's say German words with French words to salvage the situation, can I say that the person is grasping at straws?
- Yes, if you mean they are experiencing desperation.
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1) Can 'in thrall to someone' be used when you want to say that someone is under someone else's power or is it too formal?
For instance: "Most of the politicians were in thrall to the *****." You can say it, but it's not a word you hear often. many people are likely not to understand it.
2) If somebody is giving an interview in French but doesn't speak the language very well
01) That's perfectly fine. I think it is high-register, but not too high.
2) Not really. Straws are expected to be ineffective when you clutch at them. German words are a little better than that. Maybe "treading water".
3) That's fine.
01. The word "thrall" is rarely used in everyday speech, and it's very difficult to use properly if you decide to use it - your example is questionable. I'm a native English speaker in the US and I've never used it in speech or writing in my life.
2. The phrase "grasping at straws" is not used like this.
3. The verb "squeezed" is not used like this.
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