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Seski Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Trip The Lock
Is it okay to interpret 'trip the lock' in some passage from this http://books.google.com/books?id=_Ya7DhoQSSAC&pg=PT75&dq=%22tripped+the+lock%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HhdnUdirCMKCiwL764CwAg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ:
"Arny easily tripped the lock on the front door, opened the front hood, clipped the brake lines and inserted a rigged timer so that when the vehicle reached 60 miles per hour immediately after first reaching 70 or more, the brakes would suffer a complete failure."
as meaning 'accidentally activate the lock' in the same sense as 'trip the alarm'?
"Arny easily tripped the lock on the front door, opened the front hood, clipped the brake lines and inserted a rigged timer so that when the vehicle reached 60 miles per hour immediately after first reaching 70 or more, the brakes would suffer a complete failure."
as meaning 'accidentally activate the lock' in the same sense as 'trip the alarm'?
Top answer
Welcome to the forum! I agree that it should mean what you said, but the context here suggests that Arny opened the lock.
- Welcome to the forum!
- I agree that it should mean what you said, but the context here suggests that Arny opened the lock.
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3 Answers
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Welcome to the forum!
I agree that it should mean what you said, but the context here suggests that Arny opened the lock.
I agree that it should mean what you said, but the context here suggests that Arny opened the lock.
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Hi
No, that's not quite right. If you "trip a lock" it is not accidental. It means that you have deliberately used a device to open the lock. You have a special tool to do it, instead of the owner's key
You are right to contrast it with "trip an alarm". In that case it would be accidental - something you didn't want to do
The two uses are very different. In fact, on
No, that's not quite right. If you "trip a lock" it is not accidental. It means that you have deliberately used a device to open the lock. You have a special tool to do it, instead of the owner's key
You are right to contrast it with "trip an alarm". In that case it would be accidental - something you didn't want to do
The two uses are very different. In fact, on
00
I think the writer may mean 'slip the lock', ie open by illegal means. This is often said when eg a lock is opened by sliding a credit card against the tongue of the lock..
Clive
Clive
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