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Dareka Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Two questions
These questions come from an article on estrogen hormone therapy.
Firstly, in the following, does "retired their wigs" mean simply that they stored away their figurative occupational wigs and quited their jobs?
Three of my best friends have endured the full breast-cancer horror show and by now have retired their wigs.
Secondly. It seems in the following "except" is a conjunction, but then adding "to" before "delay" or, replacing it with "delaying" or "delayed" is awkward in this usage?
Have we done nothing except delay a biological process, complete with hot flashes and another round of truck-crash fantasies, that at some point we’ll have to bully our way through?
Firstly, in the following, does "retired their wigs" mean simply that they stored away their figurative occupational wigs and quited their jobs?
Three of my best friends have endured the full breast-cancer horror show and by now have retired their wigs.
Secondly. It seems in the following "except" is a conjunction, but then adding "to" before "delay" or, replacing it with "delaying" or "delayed" is awkward in this usage?
Have we done nothing except delay a biological process, complete with hot flashes and another round of truck-crash fantasies, that at some point we’ll have to bully our way through?
Top answer
I imagine "retired their wigs" is a reference to wigs being necessary if cancer treatment causes hair loss. I wasn't sure if it was a euphemism for "died", or meant that their treatment had been successful so they no longer needed the wigs. com / suggests that it's the latter.
- I imagine "retired their wigs" is a reference to wigs being necessary if cancer treatment causes hair loss.
- I wasn't sure if it was a euphemism for "died", or meant that their treatment had been successful so they no longer needed the wigs.
- com / suggests that it's the latter.
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6 Answers
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I imagine "retired their wigs" is a reference to wigs being necessary if cancer treatment causes hair loss. I wasn't sure if it was a euphemism for "died", or meant that their treatment had been successful so they no longer needed the wigs. The source at http://stasasblogthis.
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Thank you for answering the question. So it means what it literally means?
I thought it's a kind of idiomatic expression....
I thought it's a kind of idiomatic expression....
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darekaYes, it does sound like it should be! If it is, though, I've never heard of it. The only sense I can make of it is the one I described.
I thought it's a kind of idiomatic expression..
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darekadoes "retired their wigs" mean simply that they stored away their figurative occupational wigs and quitNo. It means that the hair they lost during their chemo-therapy treatments for cancer has grown back and they no longer need their (literal) wigs.edtheir jobs?
The "to" is optional in the "do
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Thank you for answering and correcting my questions.
So I'd better think of "do ~thing except (to) verb" construction as a rather set phrase? Maybe it's grammatically clearly explainable but anyway difficult for me to comprehend...
So I'd better think of "do ~thing except (to) verb" construction as a rather set phrase? Maybe it's grammatically clearly explainable but anyway difficult for me to comprehend...
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darekaSo I'd better think of "do ~thing except (to) verb" construction as a rather set phrase?Yes. It's fairly fixed. You can substitute but for except. In that case you don't use to. He does nothing but sleep. They do nothing but complain.
CJ
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