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Antonia Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary
Within the inch of its life
Hi everybody!
First of all, I have to thank all of you who are so patient with these questions. I owe you so much!
I have a problem with the following expression:
His shirt was starched within an inch of it life.
Does this mean that the shirt was too starched?
First of all, I have to thank all of you who are so patient with these questions. I owe you so much!
I have a problem with the following expression:
His shirt was starched within an inch of it life.
Does this mean that the shirt was too starched?
Top answer
Hi, Antonia, let me try... To me it means the shirt was as starched as it could ever be. Had it been more starched, it would have died.
- Hi, Antonia, let me try...
- To me it means the shirt was as starched as it could ever be.
- Had it been more starched, it would have died.
- Assuming a shirt could die!
- ), and Yes, the person who said this probably thought the shirt was too starched!
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7 Answers
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Hi, Antonia,
let me try...
To me it means the shirt was as starched as it could ever be. Had it been more starched, it would have died.
let me try...
To me it means the shirt was as starched as it could ever be. Had it been more starched, it would have died.
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Hi, Pieanne,
Yes, you are right, I wrote a definite article incorrectly.
English is a great language to play with, it has so many possibilities! And it drives me mad sometimes. I guess that's why translators's life expectancy is below average
Yes, you are right, I wrote a definite article incorrectly.
English is a great language to play with, it has so many possibilities! And it drives me mad sometimes. I guess that's why translators's life expectancy is below average
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I wonder what the origin of this phrase could be.
Wild guess:
Was it originally a horticultural metaphor? e.g. imagine that the row of *** is a stem or branch of a plant:
*** (= stem or branch)
A............................................B............C....D..........................E
A to E is the existing stem. E is the tip.
You want to cu
Wild guess:
Was it originally a horticultural metaphor? e.g. imagine that the row of *** is a stem or branch of a plant:
*** (= stem or branch)
A............................................B............C....D..........................E
A to E is the existing stem. E is the tip.
You want to cu
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Or maybe when being shot in the heart meant instant death (still does, I guess). An inch around the heart could make all the difference ...
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Oh yes, that's much better.
Avoids the need for diagrams, too.
MrP
Avoids the need for diagrams, too.
MrP
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