0
Pructus Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

"THE GIFT OF THE MAGI"



While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home.

A furnished flat at $8 per week.

It did not exactly (A) beggar description, but (B) it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.
  

Top answer

Hi. My dictionary gives the transitive verb example of "her beauty beggars all description," meaning that it exhausts all resources when one attempts to describe it. When O Henry says, "It did not exactly beggar description," he's being sarcastic (IMO), implying that it wouldn't take much effort at all to describe every aspect of the flat.

— Avangi

  • Hi.
  • My dictionary gives the transitive verb example of "her beauty beggars all description," meaning that it exhausts all resources when one attempts to describe it.
  • When O Henry says, "It did not exactly beggar description," he's being sarcastic (IMO), implying that it wouldn't take much effort at all to describe every aspect of the flat.
  • (B) I'm not comfortable with that construction either, but what else can it mean?
  • Anyone who lived there could easily be suspected of vagrancy.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

16 Answers
0
Hi. My dictionary gives the transitive verb example of "her beauty beggars all description," meaning that it exhausts all resources when one attempts to describe it.

When O Henry says, "It did not exactly beggar description," he's being sarcastic (IMO), implying that it wouldn't take much effort at all to describe every aspect of the flat.

(B) I'm not comfortable with that con
0
0
Hi,

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home.

A furnished flat at $8 per week.

It did not exactly (A) beggar description, but (B) it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancysquad.

**

From O Henry's "T
0
0
Clive The writer is imagining a police squad called 'the mendicancy squad' whose imaginary job would be to look out for (be on the lookout for) anything that relates to begging.
Hi, Clive.

According to the New York Times, May 27, 1921, this is a real squad, arresting real people and sending them to real jails.

Best wishes, - A.
0
0
Hi,

Thank you. I should have realized that.

In later years, it most likely was called 'the vagrancy squad'. But today, when we see beggars as 'homeless people' who are victims of society, we probably no longer have 'vagrancy squads'.

Best wishes, Clive
0
0
It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.
~ It was not exactly impossible to describe, but it came close.
CJ
0
0
Thank you, everyone!!

Right now I am pretty busy... I will take time to read your explanations.....

But......... "that word", what does this mean? What word?
0
0
pructus But......... "that word", what does this mean? What word?
I've never before seen a construction quite like this. He makes use of two different meanings of the word "beggar": (1) transitive verb - to turn someone or something into a beggar by using up (exhausting) everything he/it has (all his/its resources). "The housing mortgage crunch
0
0
pructusBut......... "that word", what does this mean? What word?
The word beggar.
CJ
0
0
Oh!!

I understand now.......

I clearly understand.........

Thanks everyone!!!
0
0
Thankssssssssssss for the convincing clear answer
I was trying to understand this sentence too.

What a sentence! 
0

Related Questions