Obscure idioms -HELP!

Question

Hello, im doing a vocab project relating to the genre murder mysteries. i cant seem to find definations of these ANYWHERE!!!!!! help? *bats *** * one-eyed plot *posion pen *pennies on the eyes

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

A 'poison pen' letter is a letter full of bile and hatred.

In some cultures, pennies or other coins are reputedly placed on the eyelids of deceased persons in order to keep the eyes closed.

To 'bat one's eyes' is to flutter the eyelids prominently-- it is a clichéd gesture of flirtation by young ladies. Otherwise, bat's eyes are a common ingredient of witches' potions.

I have no idea about 'one-eyed plot', but 'in the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King'.

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello Guest

1. 'Poison pen'.

When murder mysteries are set in a charming English village, Character A will at some point (usually p63) receive a 'poison pen' letter.

This letter is anonymous, and gives Character A unpleasant information about Character B. Sometimes it's written in green ink, or in letters cut out of a newspaper.

Suspicion inevitably falls on the embittered spinster who lives at Wisteria Cottage, on the outskirts of the village. She denies everything, of course, but is betrayed by the bottle of green ink on her escritoire (or the holes in her newspaper).

Later, we discover that the 'poison pen letter' was in fact concocted by the Rector, who is an expert on the fragments of Sophocles. He has gained entry to Wisteria Cottage, on the pretext of enquiring after the state of the embittered spinster's spiritual well-being, and cunningly filled his fountain pen with her green ink while she's busy toasting the crumpets in the kitchen.

It's an old trick.

2. 'Pennies on the eyes'

It was once (and may still be, in some places) the custom to put pennies on the eyelids of the recently deceased. This kept their eyes firmly closed. (The Romans would put a coin in the mouth of a corpse before burial, as a fee for Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld.)

3. 'One-eyed plot'

This I don't know; though I've certainly come across plenty of '***-eyed' plots.

You may find Todorov's 'The typology of detective fiction' interesting. There's a similar essay by Auden in his collection 'The Dyer's Hand'.

MrP

Mister Micawber · Answer

Ah, yes-- MrP is precise:  a poison-pen letter is one of character assassination.

MrPedantic · Answer

Hello, MrM, I didn't see you there.

Sorry, Guest, I didn't realize 'bat's eyes' was another query.

MrP

MrPedantic · Answer

'One-eyed plot' doesn't seem to google, Guest. Is that the exact phrase? Do you have a context?

(I suppose Odysseus's scheme to blind the Cyclops could be described elliptically as a 'one-eyed plot'. But I doubt whether there's any connection.)

MrP

Yaya6869 · Answer

One-eyed plot' is the meaning of in great surprise, maybe. just too surprise ,the eye fell out, i'm not sure.

Obscure idioms -HELP!

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