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Maple Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

take one's toll

Disruption of our normal routine, loss of sleep, waiting for the flight to be called, and the associated with flying will all take their toll.

What does take their toll mean? (Kill them, or take their lives?Emotion: rolleyes

Thanks in advance!
  

Top answer

Hi again Will have a negative effect. CB

— Cool Breeze

  • Hi again Will have a negative effect.
  • CB
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11 Answers
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Hi again

Will have a negative effect.

CB
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Hi, Hi, again

It's very nice to feel a cool breeze on this forum in this very hot summer night in Nanjing!Emotion: wink

Thanks a
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MapleIt's very nice to feel a cool breeze on this forum inthis very hot summer night in Nanjing!
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Cool BreezeBy the way, if you don't mind, I would say (on) this very hot summer night.

Certainly I don't mind! Actually any corrections are sincerely welcomed! Thank you Sir!

PS's PS [quote user]PS No big syringes tonight, I hope!
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MapleI have to admit. I have no idea at all what syringesmeansEmotion: indifferent.steth
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Oh, you were referring to that little picture!

I call it an injector.

Now I've learned the more correct word. (Embarrassed at the same time. Being a medical student and don't know this word! What's more, in two months, I'll be in the hospital. Hard to imagine! (BTW, my dictionary mixes syringes with syrinx. Good Grief! And of course I had been an *** once aga
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As a footnote:

A "toll" is a "fee": for instance, to cross certain bridges, or to use certain roads, you have to pay a "toll". In earlier centuries, "to take toll" meant "to charge a toll".

Thus if X takes its toll on Y, it diminishes Y by a certain amount (the "toll"). Hence the notion of "wear".

Best wishes,

MrP
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Thank you MrP.[Y]

Cheers!

Maple
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MrPedanticA "toll" is a "fee": for instance, to cross certain bridges, or to use certain roads, you have to pay a "toll". In earlier centuries, "to take toll" meant "to charge a toll".
Hello, MrP

Thank you for your comment. It may interest you that even though Finnish and English are completely unrelated, they do share some words that have found
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Interesting! I wonder whether the Finnish word took a similar route to that suggested by Etymology Online:

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=toll "tax, fee," O.E. toll, variant of toln, cognate with O.N. tollr, O.Fris. tolen, O.H.G.
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