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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary
What a thing to call...
Hello,
In the book "Parrot and Olivier in America" by Peter Carey, I came across a sentence, which I don't understand very well:
He said his wife was eager to natter with me about ‘old times’. Dear Jesus, what a thing to call those nightmares.
Context: After many years Parrot meets Mr. Watkins and his wife. He knew them when he was a little boy. Mr. Watkin's wife wants to "natter" with Parrot about "old times" but Parrot would rather forget them because it was a very difficult period of his life. I don't understand what does the verb "call" mean here. Does it mean to "evoke, recall" those nightmares, or does it seem strange to Parrot that he "labels/names" the nightmares "old times"?
Thank you for your replies.
In the book "Parrot and Olivier in America" by Peter Carey, I came across a sentence, which I don't understand very well:
He said his wife was eager to natter with me about ‘old times’. Dear Jesus, what a thing to call those nightmares.
Context: After many years Parrot meets Mr. Watkins and his wife. He knew them when he was a little boy. Mr. Watkin's wife wants to "natter" with Parrot about "old times" but Parrot would rather forget them because it was a very difficult period of his life. I don't understand what does the verb "call" mean here. Does it mean to "evoke, recall" those nightmares, or does it seem strange to Parrot that he "labels/names" the nightmares "old times"?
Thank you for your replies.
Top answer
Call means to give a name to. The wife (and husband) look back fondly on the past period and refer to it as the old times, where as Parrot (as you are aware) would give a diffferent name to that troubled period.
- Call means to give a name to.
- The wife (and husband) look back fondly on the past period and refer to it as the old times, where as Parrot (as you are aware) would give a diffferent name to that troubled period.
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1 Answers
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Call means to give a name to. The wife (and husband) look back fondly on the past period and refer to it as the old times, where as Parrot (as you are aware) would give a diffferent name to that troubled period.
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