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Sdasd tont Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

It never knows when it mayn't be driven into something irrational and unjust.

'There was a fellow,' Tietjens continued, 'whose land was next to ours. Conder his name was. His wife was habitually unfaithful to him. She used to retire with some fellow for three months out of every year. Conder never moved a finger. But we felt Groby and the neighbourhood were unsafe. It was awkward introducing him-not to mention her-in your drawing-room. All sorts of awkwardnesses. Everyone knew the younger children weren't Conder's. A fellow married the youngest daughter and took over the hounds. And not a soul called on her. It wasn't rational or just. But that's why society distrusts the cuckold, really. It never knows when it mayn't be driven into something irrational and unjust.'

'But you aren't,' Macmaster said with real anguish, 'going to let Sylvia behave like that.' -- Some Do Not

What's the meaning of the bold sentence (particularly, the word mayn't, which I can't figure out)? Thanks!
  

Top answer

"mayn't" means "may not" (dialect or old-fashioned). The negative is used in an idiomatic way, and its logic is a bit hard to explain, since the meaning is really the same as "It never knows when it may be driven into something irrational and unjust".

— GPY

  • "mayn't" means "may not" (dialect or old-fashioned).
  • The negative is used in an idiomatic way, and its logic is a bit hard to explain, since the meaning is really the same as "It never knows when it may be driven into something irrational and unjust".
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1 Answers
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"mayn't" means "may not" (dialect or old-fashioned). The negative is used in an idiomatic way, and its logic is a bit hard to explain, since the meaning is really the same as "It never knows when it may be driven into something irrational and unjust".
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