looking in at the dining-room

Question

'Mr. Lidenbrock here already!' cried the astounded Martha, looking in at the dining room. - from Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

Was the dining-room where Martha herself was located at or the place where she was looking at?

Thanks.

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

Pls post the links, as well as a full quotation, to spare us the work of finding them.

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http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGklrQ1PBETGwBARhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE0ZzU2ODJyBGNvbG8DdwRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANCVlRfNg--/SIG=12f17e1bn/EXP=1156720208/**http%3a//www.loc.gov/catdir/samples/random051/2003059947.html
Journey to the centre of the earth / Jules Verne

It was on Sunday, the 24th of May, 1863, that my uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, came rushing suddenly back to his little house in the old part of Hamburg, No. 19, Königstrasse.

Our good Martha could not but think she was very much behindhand with the dinner, for the pot was scarcely beginning to simmer, and I said to myself:

“Now, then, we’ll have a fine outcry if my uncle is hungry, for he is the most impatient of mortals.”

“Mr. Lidenbrock, already!” cried the poor woman, in dismay, half opening the dining-room door.

“Yes, Martha; but of course dinner can’t be ready yet, for it is not two o’clock. It has only just struck the half-hour by St. Michael’s.”

“What brings Mr. Lidenbrock home, then?”

“He’ll probably tell us that himself.”

“Here he comes. I’ll be off, Mr. Axel; you must make him listen to reason.”
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Most probably, Martha was in the kitchen, watching her pots, looking into the dining-room, through its half-open door.

SpongeBarb · Answer

I'm very sorry, Marius, I took it from a book published by Blakie & Son Limited ISBN 0 216 88506 X Reprinted 1979. Just got it from a used book store. Guess the original was written in French. Maybe the traslator of my version didn't do a good job,<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/4.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/4.gif' alt='Emotion: stick out tongue'/> and that's why it ended in the used book store? Thanks for posting the link.

Marius Hancu · Answer

You'll  find it all over Internet, if you searched for that text, as I did.

Marius Hancu · Answer

to look in: means looking from outside a given place at things inside it
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look in

Function: intransitive verb

Etymology: Middle English loken in, from looken, loken to look + in

1 : to direct one's gaze to the interior of something <children ... look in at the open door -- H.W.Longfellow>
2 : to enter (as a room or building) for the purpose of seeing someone : make a short call : VISIT<persuaded him to look in for a cup of tea whenever he visited the hamlet -- Flora Thompson> <the doctor looked in frequently>
3 : to watch television

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SpongeBarb · Answer

Well, I assumed a French-English translator would know what he was talking about. I was wrong.

Marius Hancu · Answer

SpongeBarbWell, I assumed a French-English translator would know what he was talking about. I was wrong.

I don't see where you assume he/she made an error in his translation.

This is the original French version:
http://jydupuis.apinc.org/vents/verne4.pdf

To me, this particular online translation

Journey to the centre of the earth / Jules Vern
is faithful to the original at this particular point:

half opening the dining-room door.
en entrabaillant la porte de la salle a manger

entrebâiller
Usage: French word
transitive verb : to open halfway
- s'entrebâiller reflexive verb

SpongeBarb · Answer

I meant the translator of my version.

Isn't it confusing?

This is what I have:

On the 24th of May, 1863, which was a Sunday, my uncle Professor Lidenbrock came hastily back to his little house, 12 Konigstrasse. This is one of the oldest streets in the ancient quarter og Hamburg.

Our good Martha thought she must be behind with the dinner, for it was only just beginning to sizzle in the oven.

'Well,' I said to myself, 'if my uncle is hungry he will cry out, for he is the most impatient of men.'

'Mr. Lidenbrock here already!' cried the astounded Martha, looking in at the dining room.

Marius Hancu · Answer

SpongeBarbI meant the translator of my version.

Isn't it confusing?
This is what I have:
'Mr. Lidenbrock here already!' cried the astounded Martha, looking in at the dining room.

Yes, you're right, the translator of your printed version took some liberties. Mine is stricter:
“Mr. Lidenbrock, already!” cried the poor woman, in dismay, half opening the dining-room door.

SpongeBarb · Answer

I wasted five dollars today!

MrPedantic · Answer

SpongeBarb'Mr. Lidenbrock here already!' cried the astounded Martha, looking in at the dining room. - from Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

Was the dining-room where Martha herself was located at or the place where she was looking at?

Thanks.

Hello SB

I think your question distinguishes between:

1. ...looking in | at the dining room... ] where "at the dining room" denotes the location of Martha,

and

2. ...looking in at | the dining room. ] where "the dining room" is the object of "look in at".

It would be quite unusual to find the sense in #1, without an apostrophe before "at", i.e.

3. ...looking in, | at the dining room...

So you can safely default to #2, where "look in at" = "look inside" + "look at".

It suggests a slight tentativeness on the "looker's" part: she does not enter the dining room, but perhaps leans into it, over the threshold, to get a better view.

All the best,

MrP

looking in at the dining-room

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