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Vsuresh Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
meaning
Hi
Please help me understand some lines here.
Context: This is from the chapter Philosophical in the novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens Gradgrind father of Tom pleads Bitzer to spare his son from being shown to Police for bank robbery. Sleary offers to help Tom with a plan he devises with his horse and dog. Sleary stammers which is illustrated in the use of 'th' in place of 's'
“The Thquire thtood by you, Thethilia, and I’ll thtand by the Thquire. More than that: thith ith a prethiouth rathcal anything but thpeak; (What does anything but speak mean?) I’ve got a pony that’ll go fifteen mile an hour with Childerth driving of him; I’ve got a dog that’ll keep a man to one plathe four-and-twenty hourth. Get a word with the young Thquire. Tell him, when he theeth our horthe begin to danthe, not to be afraid of being thpilt, (How should spilt be understood here?) but to look out for a pony-gig coming up. Tell him, when he theeth that gig clothe by, to jump down, and it’ll take him off at a rattling pathe. If my dog leth thith young man thtir a peg on foot, I give him leave to go. And if my horthe ever thtirth from that thpot where he beginth a danthing, till the morning—I don’t know him?—Tharp’th the word!” ( Does the speaker mean his dog would not let the man move even a bit? Does he mean if his dog fail, he will abandon him? I am unable to follow why he says"I don't know him? -sharp's the word.) At eight ’clock in the morning Mr Sleary and the dog reappeared: both in high spirits. “All right, Thquire!” said Mr Sleary, “your thon may be aboarda- thip by thith time. Childerth took him off, an hour and a half after we left here lathe night. The horth danthed the polka till he was dead beat (he would have walthed, if he hadn’t been in harneth), and then I gave him the word and he went to thleep comfortable. Then that prethiouth young Rathcal thed he’d go for’ard afoot, the dog hung on to hith neck-handkercher with all four legth in the air and pulled him down and rolled him over. Tho he come back into the drag, and there he that, ’till I turned the horthe’th head, at half-path thixth thith morning.” (what does drag mean here?)
Please help me understand some lines here.
Context: This is from the chapter Philosophical in the novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens Gradgrind father of Tom pleads Bitzer to spare his son from being shown to Police for bank robbery. Sleary offers to help Tom with a plan he devises with his horse and dog. Sleary stammers which is illustrated in the use of 'th' in place of 's'
“The Thquire thtood by you, Thethilia, and I’ll thtand by the Thquire. More than that: thith ith a prethiouth rathcal anything but thpeak; (What does anything but speak mean?) I’ve got a pony that’ll go fifteen mile an hour with Childerth driving of him; I’ve got a dog that’ll keep a man to one plathe four-and-twenty hourth. Get a word with the young Thquire. Tell him, when he theeth our horthe begin to danthe, not to be afraid of being thpilt, (How should spilt be understood here?) but to look out for a pony-gig coming up. Tell him, when he theeth that gig clothe by, to jump down, and it’ll take him off at a rattling pathe. If my dog leth thith young man thtir a peg on foot, I give him leave to go. And if my horthe ever thtirth from that thpot where he beginth a danthing, till the morning—I don’t know him?—Tharp’th the word!” ( Does the speaker mean his dog would not let the man move even a bit? Does he mean if his dog fail, he will abandon him? I am unable to follow why he says"I don't know him? -sharp's the word.) At eight ’clock in the morning Mr Sleary and the dog reappeared: both in high spirits. “All right, Thquire!” said Mr Sleary, “your thon may be aboarda- thip by thith time. Childerth took him off, an hour and a half after we left here lathe night. The horth danthed the polka till he was dead beat (he would have walthed, if he hadn’t been in harneth), and then I gave him the word and he went to thleep comfortable. Then that prethiouth young Rathcal thed he’d go for’ard afoot, the dog hung on to hith neck-handkercher with all four legth in the air and pulled him down and rolled him over. Tho he come back into the drag, and there he that, ’till I turned the horthe’th head, at half-path thixth thith morning.” (what does drag mean here?)
Top answer
Hi There's a lot of questions, so I'll just have a go at the first for now For the first sentence that you ask of, I have... " Obviously, a horse cannot speak. What Sleary is saying is that he has a horse that is so good that it can, however, do everything except speak.
- Hi There's a lot of questions, so I'll just have a go at the first for now For the first sentence that you ask of, I have...
- " Obviously, a horse cannot speak.
- What Sleary is saying is that he has a horse that is so good that it can, however, do everything except speak.
- It is an excellent horse Hope this helps Dave
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7 Answers
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Hi
There's a lot of questions, so I'll just have a go at the first for now
For the first sentence that you ask of, I have...
"...I've got a horthe that'll do any thing but thpeak;..."
Obviously, a horse cannot speak. What Sleary is saying is that he has a horse that is so good that it can, however, do everything except speak. It is an excellent horse
There's a lot of questions, so I'll just have a go at the first for now
For the first sentence that you ask of, I have...
"...I've got a horthe that'll do any thing but thpeak;..."
Obviously, a horse cannot speak. What Sleary is saying is that he has a horse that is so good that it can, however, do everything except speak. It is an excellent horse
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Hi
Here is the second explanation...
"Tell him, when he theeth our horthe begin to danthe, not to be afraid of being thpilt..."
To be spilt from a horse is to be thrown off of it
Dave
Here is the second explanation...
"Tell him, when he theeth our horthe begin to danthe, not to be afraid of being thpilt..."
To be spilt from a horse is to be thrown off of it
Dave
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Hi
Thirdly...
- Sharp's the word!
This is a very old English catchphrase - over 300 years old. It can mean two things:
- Only take care of your own interests; don't be distracted by anyone else
- Be as quick as you can!
Dave
Thirdly...
- Sharp's the word!
This is a very old English catchphrase - over 300 years old. It can mean two things:
- Only take care of your own interests; don't be distracted by anyone else
- Be as quick as you can!
Dave
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Hi
"Drag" - a type of carriage, usually drawn by four horses
This is the trickiest bit and I'm not sure that I am right - you'll have to check it with the text and see what you think
The squire's son is escaping in a pony-gig. He is being chased by Bitzer in his carriage (a drag). However, the dog is running alongside the drag. When Bitzer tries to get out, the dog imme
"Drag" - a type of carriage, usually drawn by four horses
This is the trickiest bit and I'm not sure that I am right - you'll have to check it with the text and see what you think
The squire's son is escaping in a pony-gig. He is being chased by Bitzer in his carriage (a drag). However, the dog is running alongside the drag. When Bitzer tries to get out, the dog imme
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Thank you very much, Dave.
Please help me with a few more doubts on the same story.
At one place Bitzer says to Gradgrind when he wants him to think of showing gratitude and show sympathy toward his son. Then he says" Gratitude was to be abolished, and the virtues springing from it were not to be. Every inch of the existence of mankind, from birth to death , was to be a bargain a
Please help me with a few more doubts on the same story.
At one place Bitzer says to Gradgrind when he wants him to think of showing gratitude and show sympathy toward his son. Then he says" Gratitude was to be abolished, and the virtues springing from it were not to be. Every inch of the existence of mankind, from birth to death , was to be a bargain a
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Hi vsuresh
I'm travelling shortly and I would have to read the book very carefully to give you a good answer. Briefly: in Dickens' time there was a conflict between old values of gratitude, love and community, on the one hand; and on the other hand, the new nineteenth century values of "politico-economics" - the values of the market place and capital
One poetic way of expressing
I'm travelling shortly and I would have to read the book very carefully to give you a good answer. Briefly: in Dickens' time there was a conflict between old values of gratitude, love and community, on the one hand; and on the other hand, the new nineteenth century values of "politico-economics" - the values of the market place and capital
One poetic way of expressing
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I really don't know how I should express my gratitude to you for such a detailed answer.
Actually I must read the book myself before I should ask any one about my doubts.
The chapter Philosophical is a lesson for one of the grades I teach. It is with your help I have understood some important expressions.
Thank you very much.
Suresh
Actually I must read the book myself before I should ask any one about my doubts.
The chapter Philosophical is a lesson for one of the grades I teach. It is with your help I have understood some important expressions.
Thank you very much.
Suresh
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