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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Must needs

I was reading "Kim" by Rudyard Kipling, and I came across a strange usage of the construction "must needs." I have seen it in the present tense before, but Kipling used it in what appears to be some type of past tense. I don't know what to make of it! What is going on here? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

"He loosed a thin stream into Kim's hands, who drank native-fashion; but the lama must needs pull out a cup from his inexhaustible upper draperies and drink ceremonially."
  

Top answer

"must needs" is an obsolete expression. Basically it just means "the lama must pull out a cup" or "the lama is obliged to pull out a cup". I was a little unsure of the exact grammatical justification for this expression, so I looked it up and apparently "needs" here is an adverb, meaning "of necessity".

— Mr Wordy

  • "must needs" is an obsolete expression.
  • Basically it just means "the lama must pull out a cup" or "the lama is obliged to pull out a cup".
  • I was a little unsure of the exact grammatical justification for this expression, so I looked it up and apparently "needs" here is an adverb, meaning "of necessity".
  • So, "the lama must of necessity pull out a cup".
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1 Answers
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"must needs" is an obsolete expression. Basically it just means "the lama must pull out a cup" or "the lama is obliged to pull out a cup".

I was a little unsure of the exact grammatical justification for this expression, so I looked it up and apparently "needs" here is an adverb, meaning "of necessity". So, "the lama must of necessity pull out a cup".
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