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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

left in its wake

I am reading the book 'Justice'
But I have a problem with understanding one statement.
Anyone can help me?

The sentence is : It also left in its wake a debate about price gouging.

I have no idea of the meaning and the usage of this phrase'left in its wake'. Please help me!!
  

Top answer

The term comes from nautical usage. A wake is the track left in water by a ship as it travels. It is the foaming line you see behind a ship.

  • The term comes from nautical usage.
  • A wake is the track left in water by a ship as it travels.
  • It is the foaming line you see behind a ship.
  • So, by extension, it means the aftermath of an event, or the aftereffects of some happening.
  • So, the sentence means that the event ("it"), which is now over, caused people to continue to talk about an issue ("price gouging") related to that event.
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1 Answers
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The term comes from nautical usage. A wake is the track left in water by a ship as it travels. It is the foaming line you see behind a ship. So, by extension, it means the aftermath of an event, or the aftereffects of some happening.

So, the sentence means that the event ("it"), which is now over, caused people to continue to talk about an issue ("price gouging") related to that event.

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