"I set my watch and warrant on it."

Question

0 I've got a favourite series, I hope you know it; it's called - The Dark  Tower. I read them in English but I'm not a native speaker so I'm sure  I couldn't understand everthing perfectly but it isn't a problem... but  there is a terribly important sentence in it which I'm not able to  translate. I would be grateful if any of you could help me and could  explain what it means. Maybe one of you who has already read these  books.02br02br00  This is THE sentenve: "01b00I set my watch and warrant on it.02b00"02br02br00  Thanks a lot.0-

Clive · Accepted Answer

0Hi Letti,02br
02br
00"01b00I set my watch and warrant on it.02b00"02br
02br
00'To set your watch' means to adjust it to the correct time. 'To warrant' here means 'to guarantee'. The meaning is that I trust my watch, it will not show the incorrect time. I guarantee this. 02br
02br
00When you buy a watch, you receive a paper that promises this, called either a 'guarantee' or a 'warranty'.02br
02br
00Enjoy your book, Clive 0-

Letti · Answer

0 Thanks a lot, I'm sure your answer is good, as well.02br
00But sadly, it can't have this sort of meaning in the book, because the character who always says this sentence doesn't have a watch, moreover, he has never met or seen a watch in his life. 050010id1

Clive · Answer

0Hi,02br
02br
00It would be more efficient if you told me what this guy 01i00is 02i00doing, rather than what he 01i00isn't 02i00doing! In other words, a little context would be helpful. 02br
02br
00Another meaning of watch is 'to keep watch', as in 'You guys can sleep, and I'll take the first watch', meaning 'I'll stay awake and guard you'.02br
02br
00Clive0-

Khoff · Answer

0 As Clive says, context would be helpful  My quess is, though, that it's just a metaphorical way of saying "I depend on it to be an accurate guide" (whatever "it" is!). 0-

MrPedantic · Answer

0I don't know the series, so can only guess at the meaning. However, "warrant" can mean "guarantee"; "I set my warrant on it" could therefore mean "I guarantee that it is so". 02br
02br
00"Watch" is a little more difficult. When something happens "on your watch", it happens during your period of responsibility. So perhaps we can take "I set my watch on it" here as "I take full responsibility for it".02br
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00Put together, the meaning might therefore be "I guarantee and vouch for the fact that this is so".02br
02br
00(I would not however set either my watch or my warrant on my interpretation.)02br
02br
00MrP0-

Letti · Answer

0 That's very kind of you that you keep trying to help me. I feel you are close to the real meaning of this sentence!02br
00The man, who always says it, is a hero who wants to save the world. 05002br
00 I can give you a little context but I think, you have already found the nearly right answer! 02br
00 Thanks! It means a lot to me!02br
02br
00 In context: 01i02br
00 "They'll be there before the sun goes rooftop tomorrow. I set my watch and warrant on it"02i02br
01i00"Not quite the way I learned it in my cradle and taught it to my friends," Roland said, "but close enough, by watch and by warrant."02i02br
02br
02br
010id1

MrPedantic · Answer

0Hello Letti02br
02br
00The first example seems to mean "I guarantee it"; the second seems to be a mild oath, like "on my troth!", or "upon my word!".02br
02br
00I would guess that in the context of the series (for which this phrase seems to have been invented), "my watch and warrant" has a sense of "my honour", or "my word".02br
02br
00MrP0-

Anonymous · Answer

1b01font00Greeting Sai Letti,02font02b02br
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00The others here have bascially got the gist of it, but I have an advantage in having read the series (and recently).02br
02br
00The specifics of this saying come from two seperate sources in the English language. Sai King has simply combined the two in order to give it its own exotic flavor.02br
02br
00In English if someone is very fanatical about being punctual, always showing up on time, never missing an appointment, etc, or if they have some habbit they perform absolutely without fail, then someone may comment that there actions are so precise or predictable that you could set your watch to them/it.02br
02br
00For example, say someone always went to a specifc dinner and ordered apple pie at the same exact time every single day (or on a specific day), say 12PM. You could then in theory set your watch on one of these days to 12PM and be fairly certain that it would be the correct time without looking at another clock.02br
02br
00As for the second term, the others were correct in saying it is like a warrantee. If you set your warrant on something you are simply guaranteeing that it is so.02br
02br
00Thus you will often come across the phrase you are speaking of in the following context:02br
02br
00Person 1: Makes a bold statement.02br
02br
00Person 2: Do you say so?02br
02br
00Person 1: Aye, I set my watch and warrant on it.02br
02br
00This means that yes he guarantees it.02br
02br
00Livingston0-

Anonymous · Answer

your post is very old, so i hope you get my take on this question.
first off...I love the Dark Tower Series, and Roland is a wonderful character.

the way I read it is he's giving his assurance to the situation. whenever he uses this phrase (and he does use it several times during the series) it's always in response to someone needing reassurance. He's saying you cahe believe in whatever is about to occur completely...he'd set his watch (figuratively he'd set his timepiece if he had one) on it and he gives his guarantee. I know roland never had a watch, but it doesn't mean that watches are unheard of in Mid-world...it is after all just another "where" associated with ours. ::smile::

Hope this helped clarify if you were still unsure and if you'd already gotten the info, well....long days and pleasant nights to you, sai Letti.

Reefannie · Answer

Without reading the book I'll take a stab at the meaning.

I believe the character could be saying that he/she is extremely sure of something.

Does that fit into what you are reading?

K.

=^^=

"I set my watch and warrant on it."

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