Meaning of a phrase
The passage below is From Troilus and Cressida: Act 1, Scene 2 by William Shakespeare.
If you love an addle egg as well as you love an idle head, you would eat chickens i' th' shell. - William Shakespeare
It seems to me that 'an addle egg' is a rotten egg, and 'an idle head' means an ‘addle-brained’ person. But I can not figure what ‘eat chickens i' th' shell’ means.
Can you give me what it means to me?
Top answer
In this scene, Pandarus has been saying some ridiculous things, to try to get Cressida interested in Troilus. The talk is altogether silly, and does not really make a lot of sense. The "idle head" that Cressida refers to is Pandarus', that is, he's been talking like a fool.
- In this scene, Pandarus has been saying some ridiculous things, to try to get Cressida interested in Troilus.
- The talk is altogether silly, and does not really make a lot of sense.
- The "idle head" that Cressida refers to is Pandarus', that is, he's been talking like a fool.
- "Eat chickens i' th' shell" doesn't make a lot of sense, but neither has Pandarus.
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In this scene, Pandarus has been saying some ridiculous things, to try to get Cressida interested in Troilus. The talk is altogether silly, and does not really make a lot of sense. The "idle head" that Cressida refers to is Pandarus', that is, he's been talking like a fool. "Eat chickens i' th' shell" doesn't make a lot of sense, but neither has Pandarus.
0Stenka25‘eat chickens i' th' shell’
eat chickens in the shell (the shell of an egg)
In other words, you could crack open an egg and find a chicken in there which you could eat.
CJ
0
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