On Fri, 9 Nov 2012 00:13:19 -0800 (PST), navi <
lorc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>What does "dearly departed" mean exactly?
It means that they fought bravely to the end, and took many of the enemy with
them to the grave.
>I think it means "the departed who were dear". But what does "dearly" (an adverb) mean and what function does it have in the expression?
>
>Does it mean:
>
>" with serious loss, damage, or trouble"
"He sold his life dearly" means that his enemies had to go to a lot of trouble
to kill him, and he killed more of them.
There is "dear departed", which means beloved departed, sometimes referred to
as "the loved one" (see the eponymous novel by Evelyn Waugh).
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Blog:
http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk