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Vsuresh Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Meaning

Hi

Please tell me what is the meaning of the words or expressions in italics.

Context: These expressions are from one of the works of P G Wodehouse - "Keeping it from Harold"

Harold's father is a professional boxer. He and his wife do not want their son to know this as they think their boy who is growing up with kind and noble values will find it hard to stomach the fact that his father was a boxer.

1. Think of all the swells that'll coming to see you

2. He was not a un-mixedly chilvalrous nature.

3.He is known as "young porky"

4. He is fighting -man doing his eight -stone-four ringside,...

5. It's jolly thick.

6. These words had given place to the abstracted gravity of the student.
  

Top answer

Hi All good questions. I can only do one right now.. Since the late eighteenth century, a swell has been a person who is high-class and well-dressed Around that time, or later on, it also means someone who is "swelled up" which can mean that they are pompous or have a high estimation of their own abilities By the early twentieth century, it can just mean "good" or "excellent", but still with the meaning of high-class.

— Dave_anon

  • Hi All good questions.
  • I can only do one right now..
  • Since the late eighteenth century, a swell has been a person who is high-class and well-dressed Around that time, or later on, it also means someone who is "swelled up" which can mean that they are pompous or have a high estimation of their own abilities By the early twentieth century, it can just mean "good" or "excellent", but still with the meaning of high-class.
  • It passes into American English with that meaning...
  • - What a swell party this is!
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9 Answers
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Hi

All good questions. I can only do one right now..

Since the late eighteenth century, a swell has been a person who is high-class and well-dressed

Around that time, or later on, it also means someone who is "swelled up" which can mean that they are pompous or have a high estimation of their own abilities

By the early twentieth century, it can just mean "good"
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Thank you dave_anon for the detailed answer.

I hope someone helps me with the rest.
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Hi

I'll do my best, but they are quite weighty questions...

Chivalrous, of course, means a gentleman who has the qualities of a horseman: courteous, courageous, loyal, generous towards those who are more vulnerable, and so on. In Europe, it has this meaning since the 13th or 14th century

But in Wodehouse, you have the English double-negative understatement..

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Hi Suresh,

Just a quick general comment.

Wodehouse wrote in a humorous style that was uniquely his own. A lot of his English and that of his characters was not used outside his books. I'd view his books as a curiosity today, rather than as a help to learners of English.
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Hi

I must agree to disagree with Clive on (2); but I agree on (3), (4) and (5)

But if he ever describes Wodehouse as a "curiosity" again, it may be necessary to have sharp words with the young whippersnapper

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Hi,

Thanks, Dave, I overlooked the 'not' in #2. Not completely chivalrous.

I like Wodehouse!

I just hope we don't get a lot of learners posting who sound like Bertie Wooster.
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Hi,

Thanks, Dave, I overlooked the 'not' in #2. Not completely chivalrous.

I like Wodehouse!

I just hope we don't get a lot of learners posting who sound like Bertie Wooster.
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Thank you, Clive and Dave.
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Hi suresh

1)a swell simply means a rich man with good clothing and other accessories.

2)here,i think wodehouse tries to explain that harold is a bit self absorbed and has a courtrous behaviour in a very well tamed sense.

3)here, yong porky...you got the meaning but here it reffers to the famous boxer mr.bill bramble in the story

4) Eight stone four simply implies to the

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