Adventure sawyer chapter 1

[starbu...@gmail.com]

She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state pair

- what does 'state pair' means?


I never did see the beat of that boy;
- what does ' the beat of that boy' mean?

she turned just in time to seize the boy by the slack of his roundabout an arrest his flight.

- what does 'the slack of his roundabout' mean?


I ain't doing by duty by that boy
- what does it mean : why not say ' to that boy'?

spare the rock and spile the child
- what does it mean ? I could not find the word 'spile' on my dictionary.

man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble
- what does it mean? ??


like many other simple hearted souls, it was her pet vanity to believe that she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy.and she
loved to contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low
cunning. Said she:

- what does ' pet vanity ' mean?
- what does ' contemplate her most transparent device as marvels of low cunning ' mean?


Some of us pumped on our heads--mine's damp yet.
- what does it mean to pumped on someone's head?

singed cat: what does it mean?

[Mack A. Damia]

On Wed, 2 Jul 2014 18:55:50 -0700 (PDT), starbu...@gmail.com wrote:

>She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state pair
>
>- what does 'state pair' means?

Hi there, if you want answers, you have to post full information. To
wit:

"The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about
the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom
or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were
her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style,"
not service�she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as
well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely,
but still loud enough for the furniture to hear..."

***A "state pair" was for her looks only and did not really help her
vision.

Also, you can find a lot of the answers you seek on Google if you put
them in quotes. Here is an annotated version of Twain's novel:

http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Mark-twain-the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer-chap-1-annotated

(The term you are looking for is in the highlighted sentence -
annotated. Click on it.)

--

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <fd5b03ef-70b4-4181...@googlegroups.com>,

starbu...@gmail.com wrote:

> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state pair
>
> - what does 'state pair' means?

You might have included the part of the paragraph that identified the
"pair" as spectacles.

In any case, they were her "good" or "Sunday-go-to-meeting" eyeglasses.
"State pair" indicates that they were only used on "occasions of state,"
formal or other times when she wore her best clothing. In fact, they
were for display only.

> I never did see the beat of that boy;
> - what does ' the beat of that boy' mean?

Never saw his like or kind.

> she turned just in time to seize the boy by the slack of his roundabout an
> arrest his flight.
>
> - what does 'the slack of his roundabout' mean?

The roundabout was a jacket. The slack is obviously the part that was
loose.

> I ain't doing by duty by that boy
> - what does it mean : why not say ' to that boy'?

It's an idiomatic expression, indicating "for" rather than "to."

> spare the rock and spile the child
> - what does it mean ? I could not find the word 'spile' on my dictionary.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child" is from the Bible. "Spile is merely
the local dialect version of "spoil."

> man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble
> - what does it mean? ??

Human beings live only a short time, and they suffer many ills and
misfortunes.

>
> like many other simple hearted souls, it was her pet vanity to believe that
> she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy.and she
> loved to contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low
> cunning. Said she:
>
> - what does ' pet vanity ' mean?

A dearly loved belief about herself, giving herself credit for some
talent.

> - what does ' contemplate her most transparent device as marvels of low
> cunning ' mean?

She supposed that her plans were more elaborate and deceptive than they
were in fact. Her devices or schemes were obvious (transparent.) They
could be "seen through" for what they were.

> Some of us pumped on our heads--mine's damp yet.
> - what does it mean to pumped on someone's head?

Ran water from the hand pump on their heads.

> singed cat: what does it mean?

Exactly what is appears to be, a cat whose fur has been burned on the
ends, giving it an unpleasant appearance and odor.

[Tony Cooper]

On Thu, 03 Jul 2014 01:29:33 -0400, Horace LaBadie
<hlab...@nospam.com> wrote:

>In article <fd5b03ef-70b4-4181...@googlegroups.com>,
> starbu...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state pair
>>
>> - what does 'state pair' means?
>
>You might have included the part of the paragraph that identified the
>"pair" as spectacles.
>
>In any case, they were her "good" or "Sunday-go-to-meeting" eyeglasses.
>"State pair" indicates that they were only used on "occasions of state,"
>formal or other times when she wore her best clothing. In fact, they
>were for display only.
>

It would confuse me. I've never heard of having a pair of "dress-up"
glasses that are different from one's day-to-day glasses. A "state
pair (of glasses)" would mean a pair issued by the state as part of
some program for low income people. They would be the opposite of
"dress-up" glasses. They would be like the ones issued to me when I
was in the military.

I would recognize that people have both plain and fancy sunglasses,
though.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando FL

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Thursday, July 3, 2014 11:45:14 AM UTC-4, Tony Cooper wrote:

> It would confuse me. I've never heard of having a pair of "dress-up"
> glasses that are different from one's day-to-day glasses. A "state
> pair (of glasses)" would mean a pair issued by the state as part of
> some program for low income people. They would be the opposite of
> "dress-up" glasses. They would be like the ones issued to me when I
> was in the military.

In 1850? (Or whenever *Tom Sawyer* is set.)

[Cheryl]

I think the fact that she didn't wear them often shows that they're
'state' in the sense of 'formal' or 'Sunday best' rather than 'state' in
the sense of 'basic essential equipment provided to the poor'.

--
Cheryl

[Tony Cooper]

Oh, so you are under the impression that the character in "Tom Sawyer"
attended state occasions? What might they have been?

However, it is the term "state pair" meaning a "dress-up" pair that
would confuse me, irregardless of context.

[Jerry Friedman]

On 7/3/14 10:57 AM, Tony Cooper wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Jul 2014 09:25:05 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"
> <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> On Thursday, July 3, 2014 11:45:14 AM UTC-4, Tony Cooper wrote:
>>
>>> It would confuse me. I've never heard of having a pair of "dress-up"
>>> glasses that are different from one's day-to-day glasses. A "state
>>> pair (of glasses)" would mean a pair issued by the state as part of
>>> some program for low income people. They would be the opposite of
>>> "dress-up" glasses. They would be like the ones issued to me when I
>>> was in the military.
>>
>> In 1850? (Or whenever *Tom Sawyer* is set.)
>
> Oh, so you are under the impression that the character in "Tom Sawyer"
> attended state occasions? What might they have been?

Twain is mocking her by comparing her to someone who does attend state
occasions.

> However, it is the term "state pair" meaning a "dress-up" pair that
> would confuse me, irregardless of context.

Well, I'm sure that's what it means. It's like

"The total weight of the coach is 3 tons, 6cwt., being 4cwt. less than
that of her Majesty's state coach. The City coach is drawn by six
horses, for whom a superb state harness was made in the year 1833, by
Dinsdale, of the Pavement, Finsbury."

/THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT AND INSTRUCTION/, 1877

--
Jerry Friedman

[Jerry Friedman]

On 7/2/14 11:29 PM, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> In article <fd5b03ef-70b4-4181...@googlegroups.com>,
> starbu...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state pair
>>
>> - what does 'state pair' means?
>
> You might have included the part of the paragraph that identified the
> "pair" as spectacles.

Yep.

> In any case, they were her "good" or "Sunday-go-to-meeting" eyeglasses.
> "State pair" indicates that they were only used on "occasions of state,"
> formal or other times when she wore her best clothing. In fact, they
> were for display only.
>
>
>> I never did see the beat of that boy;
>> - what does ' the beat of that boy' mean?
>
> Never saw his like or kind.

[snip things I agree with]

I think it's "never saw anything to beat him". He's unexcelled (in
obstreperousness or whatever).

--
Jerry Friedman

[Tony Cooper]

On Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:29:50 -0600, Jerry Friedman
<jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>On 7/3/14 10:57 AM, Tony Cooper wrote:
>> On Thu, 3 Jul 2014 09:25:05 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"
>> <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On Thursday, July 3, 2014 11:45:14 AM UTC-4, Tony Cooper wrote:
>>>
>>>> It would confuse me. I've never heard of having a pair of "dress-up"
>>>> glasses that are different from one's day-to-day glasses. A "state
>>>> pair (of glasses)" would mean a pair issued by the state as part of
>>>> some program for low income people. They would be the opposite of
>>>> "dress-up" glasses. They would be like the ones issued to me when I
>>>> was in the military.
>>>
>>> In 1850? (Or whenever *Tom Sawyer* is set.)
>>
>> Oh, so you are under the impression that the character in "Tom Sawyer"
>> attended state occasions? What might they have been?
>
>Twain is mocking her by comparing her to someone who does attend state
>occasions.
>
>> However, it is the term "state pair" meaning a "dress-up" pair that
>> would confuse me, irregardless of context.
>
>Well, I'm sure that's what it means.

Agreed, but it's such an out-of-concept term for Americans except
those directly involved in Washington (DC) affairs in *any* era in the
US that it is (in my opinion) confusing.

Twain may be mocking her, but the mock would not be understood by most
readers. We just don't have the concept of "state occasions" with the
exception above.

To the best of my knowledge, Missouri is not a hot bed of state
occasions.

[Dr Nick]

It's odd isn't it. I instantly grabbed hold of the meaning. So here's
an exemplar of US literature writing something that seems much easier
for Brits to understand.

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

I'm suffering from deja vu. This question about "state pair" was asked
just three months ago in alt.english.usage. The thread subject was
"state pair".

The replies by me and Gordon Davie were:

<quote>

"Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <ma...@peterduncanson.net> wrote in message
news:bb40k9do2rgrd6li6...@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 5 Apr 2014 06:48:56 -0700 (PDT), 3556...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>>Dear all,
>>
>>Please tell me what "state pair" means in the following sentence. Thank
>>you very much!
>>
>>She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy,for

>>they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for

>>''style'',not for service; she could have seen through apair of stove-lids
>>as well.
>
> That seems to refer to a pair of glasses (spectacles).
>
> In that context I think "state" means something like this sense of the
> word:
> http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/state
>
> 18. involving ceremony or concerned with a ceremonious occasion.


It does refer to spectacles - the quote is from the very beginning of
'Tom
Sawyer'. The implication is that the specs in question are Aunt Polly's
very
best pair, probably only used on Sundays or on special occasions. It's
as if
she believes looking through them will wear them out, so she saves them
for
church and the like and uses a normal pair the rest of the time.

Gordon Davie
Edinburgh, Scotland

<endquote>


--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

[Mack A. Damia]

Bu it's evident from reading the full paragraph that she wears them
just for show. She cannot see through them!

"and were built for "style, not service�she could have seen through a

pair of stove-lids just as well."

So why the confusion and resistance to the obvious? Seems to be a
<*groupthing*>.

--

[Peter T. Daniels]

I'm wondering what sort of "basic essential equipment provided to the
poor" by some government "as part of some program for low income people"
Tony thinks there was in Tom Sawyer's day.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Why would it have any fewer state occasions than any other state?

Earlier today I refrained from congratulating you on your astonishingly
insular and self-absorbed attitude toward all topics whatsoever.

Was Mark Twain writing for you in the 21st century, or was he trying
to sell books to the public in 1875, most of whom could _remember_
the times described in the Tom Sawyer series? (Yes, there were more
than two Tom Sawyer books.)

I wonder whether you have any recollection at all of *Huckleberry Finn*,
which includes an extended lampoon of European royalty?

Or whether you've ever even heard of *A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur's Court*, in which considerable familiarity with British lore,
legend, and royalty on the part of the reader is assumed?

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Thursday, July 3, 2014 3:19:04 PM UTC-4, Dr Nick wrote:

> It's odd isn't it. I instantly grabbed hold of the meaning. So here's
> an exemplar of US literature writing something that seems much easier
> for Brits to understand.

No, it's just Tony.

[Tony Cooper]

On Thu, 3 Jul 2014 12:55:51 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"

A "state occasion" in Missouri is completely different from the
European version of a state occasion just as "court" has a meaning in
Europe that is not one of the meanings used in Missouri.

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <780c267f-6644-4050...@googlegroups.com>,

Or The Prince and the Pauper.

[Tony Cooper]

On Thu, 3 Jul 2014 23:49:51 +0000 (UTC), Lewis
<g.k...@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote:

>Okay, so one time? In band camp? Tony Cooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> was all, like:
> --> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 13:59:23 -0400 <n56br95bm2ord802h...@4ax.com>

>Sure, but he didn't write the book for a 2014 audience.

Would the audience he did write for have any more familiarity with
state occasions?

>
>> To the best of my knowledge, Missouri is not a hot bed of state
>> occasions.
>

>It's a state. I'm sure there's Governor's Balls, Inaugurations, Etc.
>Even in the 19th century.

So you think that Aunt Polly was on the invitation list for all those
events?

[Peter T. Daniels]

I _knew_ there was another one! But Danny Kaye movies make much better
impressions than Freddie Bartholomew movies.

Hmm, I wonder why there haven't been remakes of those, taking the source
material far more seriously.

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <eb269549-b4a1-4e4d...@googlegroups.com>,

"Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:

> On Thursday, July 3, 2014 5:35:15 PM UTC-4, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> > In article <780c267f-6644-4050...@googlegroups.com>,
> > "Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > > Or whether you've ever even heard of *A Connecticut Yankee in King
> > > Arthur's Court*, in which considerable familiarity with British lore,
> > > legend, and royalty on the part of the reader is assumed?
> >
> > Or The Prince and the Pauper.
>
> I _knew_ there was another one! But Danny Kaye movies make much better
> impressions than Freddie Bartholomew movies.
>
> Hmm, I wonder why there haven't been remakes of those, taking the source
> material far more seriously.

I know only the Bing Crosby version of A Connecticut Yankee. (I dimly
recall a Will Rogers version, but I don't remember watching it.) Of The
Prince and the Pauper I know two versions, one with Errol Flynn and the
other with Guy Williams, the latter of which was made by Disney for his
TV show back in the early '60s.

[Cheryl]

Probably not, but she had the idea that special items should be saved
for special occasions rather than actually used.

Twain's readers could probably connect that idea with the idea of
extremely formal state occasions, whenter inaugurations or funerals. I
don't find it much of a mental leap at all, although of course I was
born rather late to be Twain's intended audience.

--
Cheryl

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, July 4, 2014 1:27:38 AM UTC-4, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> In article <eb269549-b4a1-4e4d...@googlegroups.com>,
> "Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:
> > On Thursday, July 3, 2014 5:35:15 PM UTC-4, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> > > In article <780c267f-6644-4050...@googlegroups.com>,
> > > "Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:

> > > > Or whether you've ever even heard of *A Connecticut Yankee in King
> > > > Arthur's Court*, in which considerable familiarity with British lore,
> > > > legend, and royalty on the part of the reader is assumed?
> > > Or The Prince and the Pauper.
> > I _knew_ there was another one! But Danny Kaye movies make much better
> > impressions than Freddie Bartholomew movies.
> > Hmm, I wonder why there haven't been remakes of those, taking the source
> > material far more seriously.
>
> I know only the Bing Crosby version of A Connecticut Yankee. (I dimly

Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby ... (where does the "flagon with the dragon"
come from, if not there?)

> recall a Will Rogers version, but I don't remember watching it.) Of The
> Prince and the Pauper I know two versions, one with Errol Flynn and the
> other with Guy Williams, the latter of which was made by Disney for his
> TV show back in the early '60s.

Presumably neither Errol nor Guy played the prince and the pauper. Presumably
Freddie Bartholomew was in like Flynn.

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <5edbaccd-572e-4804...@googlegroups.com>,

"Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:

>
> Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby ... (where does the "flagon with the dragon"
> come from, if not there?)

The Court Jester.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Danny and Bing costarred, probably more than once -- was it *Holiday
Inn* (the movie that introduced "White Christmas") or *White Christmas*?

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <da0c979d-171b-48b2...@googlegroups.com>,

"Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:

> On Friday, July 4, 2014 9:38:38 AM UTC-4, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> > In article <5edbaccd-572e-4804...@googlegroups.com>,
> > "Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> > > Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby ... (where does the "flagon with the dragon"
> > > come from, if not there?)
> >
> > The Court Jester.
>
> Danny and Bing costarred, probably more than once -- was it *Holiday
> Inn* (the movie that introduced "White Christmas") or *White Christmas*?

Whiite Christmas. Bing and Danny save Dean Jagger's inn.

Holiday Inn was the earlier movie, with Bing and Fred Astaire.

[Mack A. Damia]

Danny Kaye was one of my favorites when I was a nipper, but I outgrew
him. Remember him mostly from the Hans Christian Andersen movie.

"Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen"

--

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, July 4, 2014 2:51:33 PM UTC-4, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> In article <da0c979d-171b-48b2...@googlegroups.com>,
> "Peter T. Daniels" <gram...@verizon.net> wrote:

> > Danny and Bing costarred, probably more than once -- was it *Holiday
> > Inn* (the movie that introduced "White Christmas") or *White Christmas*?
>

> White Christmas. Bing and Danny save Dean Jagger's inn.

> Holiday Inn was the earlier movie, with Bing and Fred Astaire.

Since I knew Dean Jagger from a sitcom (could it possibly have been
*McKeever and the Colonel*? wow, I wonder where that name came from)
in which he played the stern, strict head of a military academy, the
first time I saw *White Christmas* I found his character rather
confusing.
No, turns out that was his role on *Mr. Novak*, principal of a high
school.

I think that's also the movie where Danny & Bing reprised "Sisters"
in drag.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, July 4, 2014 3:00:26 PM UTC-4, Mack A. Damia wrote:

> Danny Kaye was one of my favorites when I was a nipper, but I outgrew
> him. Remember him mostly from the Hans Christian Andersen movie.

He was an accomplished classical musician -- his many appearances
conducting symphony orchestras (I think as benefits for UNICEF)
were not a stunt.

His last movie, the TV movie *Skokie*, was one of the best movies
ever made for TV -- it forcefully made the case for freedom of
speech, reenacting the neonazi march on heavily Jewish Skokie,
Illinois, of the late 1970s.

And he was the long-time partner of Lawrence Olivier.

[Mike L]

The US and UK were culturally close, and Independence was only a
lifetime back.

--
Mike.

[Jerry Friedman]

Especially special items that were useless.

>> Twain's readers could probably connect that idea with the idea of
>> extremely formal state occasions, whenter inaugurations or funerals. I
>> don't find it much of a mental leap at all, although of course I was
>> born rather late to be Twain's intended audience.
>
> The US and UK were culturally close, and Independence was only a
> lifetime back.

And on the other side of Missouri.

When /Tom Sawyer/ was published, "state occasion" had been about equally
common in the U.S. and Britain for something like twenty years, and was
a bit more common in the U.S. than it is now. I think Twain's readers
would have recognized it.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=state+occasion%3Aeng_gb_2012%2Cstate+occasion%3Aeng_us_2012&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cstate%20occasion%3Aeng_gb_2012%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cstate%20occasion%3Aeng_us_2012%3B%2Cc0

http://snipurl.com/292qkh8

--
Jerry Friedman

[Mack A. Damia]

>And he was the long-time partner of Laurence Olivier.

No doubt about his talent. As I got older, he seemed a bit too silly.

--

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <slrnlre7q3....@amelia.local>,
Lewis <g.k...@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote:

> Okay, so one time? In band camp? Horace LaBadie <hlab...@nospam.com> was
> all, like:
> --> Fri, 04 Jul 2014 14:51:33 -0400
> <hlabadie-0F33FE...@nntp.aioe.org>

> Holiday Inn is a much better film, IMnsHO.

White Christmas was a promotional movie made to sell more copies of what
was already the world's best-selling record, and which would remain the
best-selling record for many years.

Holiday Inn was made to be a movie.

Of course, at some level, all of Bing's movies, with the exception maybe
of the Stagecoach remake, were made with the idea that Bing would make a
record that would sell millions of copies as a tie-in.

[David Kleinecke]

On Friday, July 4, 2014 1:32:18 PM UTC-7, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Friday, July 4, 2014 3:00:26 PM UTC-4, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>
> > Danny Kaye was one of my favorites when I was a nipper, but I outgrew
> > him. Remember him mostly from the Hans Christian Andersen movie.

> His last movie, the TV movie *Skokie*, was one of the best movies
> ever made for TV -- it forcefully made the case for freedom of
> speech, reenacting the neonazi march on heavily Jewish Skokie,
> Illinois, of the late 1970s.

That march nearly destroyed the ACLU. I haven't seen the movie
so I don't know whether it covers that.

But for a few years after the march the relatively few of us
who hadn't cancelled our memberships in the ACLU were
constantly being polled on what we thought the ACLU should
be doing. I am happy to report the ACLU recovered and, at
least in California, is stronger than ever.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, July 4, 2014 4:43:35 PM UTC-4, Mike L wrote:

> The US and UK were culturally close, and Independence was only a
> lifetime back.

"Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.
'Twas the 18th of April in '75.
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year." (Longfellow)

I.e., a few men were then alive -- April 19, 1860 -- who did.

[Jerry Friedman]

...

Would have recognized "state" in "state pair", that is.

--
Jerry Friedman

[sk27...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, 3 July 2014 07:25:50 UTC+5:30, starbu...@gmail.com wrote:
> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state pair
>
> - what does 'state pair' means?
>
>
> I never did see the beat of that boy;
> - what does ' the beat of that boy' mean?
>
> she turned just in time to seize the boy by the slack of his roundabout an arrest his flight.
>
> - what does 'the slack of his roundabout' mean?
>
>
> I ain't doing by duty by that boy
> - what does it mean : why not say ' to that boy'?
>
> spare the rock and spile the child
> - what does it mean ? I could not find the word 'spile' on my dictionary.
>
> man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble
> - what does it mean? ??
>
>
> like many other simple hearted souls, it was her pet vanity to believe that she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy.and she
> loved to contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low
> cunning. Said she:
>
> - what does ' pet vanity ' mean?
> - what does ' contemplate her most transparent device as marvels of low cunning ' mean?
>
>
> Some of us pumped on our heads--mine's damp yet.
> - what does it mean to pumped on someone's head?
>
> singed cat: what does it mean?

[CDB]

On 9/15/2018 5:58 AM, sk27...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, 3 July 2014 07:25:50 UTC+5:30, starbu...@gmail.com
> wrote:

>> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state
>> pair

>> - what does 'state pair' means?

if you have seen the earlier thread, you have had a thorough explanation
of that.

>> I never did see the beat of that boy; - what does ' the beat of
>> that boy' mean?

"I never saw anyone who did better than that boy." here, and in most
uses, it is ironic: my "better" could mean something like "more
successful in annoying me" or "better at getting into trouble".

>> she turned just in time to seize the boy by the slack of his
>> roundabout an arrest his flight.

>> - what does 'the slack of his roundabout' mean?

Some part of "a short close-fitting jacket worn by men and boys
especially in the 19th century" that was loose enough to grab, perhaps
near the collar.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roundabout

>> I ain't doing by duty by that boy - what does it mean : why not say
>> ' to that boy'?

The duty is not to the boy, but it involves the boy. She is not
behaving so as to train him properly, as her duty to society, or God,
would have her do.

>> spare the rock and spile the child - what does it mean ? I could
>> not find the word 'spile' on my dictionary.

The proverb is "Spare the rod and spoil the child": lack of physical
punishment will make Tom a bad boy.

>> man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble - what
>> does it mean? ??

The beautiful words of Archbishop Cranmer, from the service for the
burial of the dead in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Queen Mary
burned him alive for them.

Your quotations seem to be inaccurate, again.

"Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full
of misery. He cometh up and is cut down like a flower; he fleeth as it
were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay.

In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek for succour,
but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?

Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful
Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death.

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful
ears to our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O
holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal; suffer us not
at our last hour for any pains of death to fall from thee."

Some of the last parts seem rather overdone from a modern point of view,
but that was how one talked to kings on state occasions in the Sixteenth
Century; and I wanted to include the last line or two.

>> like many other simple hearted souls, it was her pet vanity to
>> believe that she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious
>> diplomacy.and she loved to contemplate her most transparent devices
>> as marvels of low cunning. Said she:

>> - what does ' pet vanity ' mean?

Favourite flattering belief about herself.

>> - what does ' contemplate her most transparent device as marvels of
>> low cunning ' mean?

Believe that her "diplomatic" efforts (see above) were much harder to
detect, and more effective, than they really were.

>> Some of us pumped on our heads--mine's damp yet. - what does it
>> mean to pumped on someone's head?

Rinse someone's head in the flowing water from the pump in the yard.

>> singed cat: what does it mean?

A cat that has been burnt (perhaps by coming too close to a stove or
fireplace) will run away very quickly.

[Snidely]

CDB explained on 9/15/2018 :

> On 9/15/2018 5:58 AM, sk27...@gmail.com wrote:
>> On Thursday, 3 July 2014 07:25:50 UTC+5:30, starbu...@gmail.com
>> wrote:
>
>>> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their state
>>> pair
>
>>> - what does 'state pair' means?
>
> if you have seen the earlier thread, you have had a thorough explanation
> of that.

True, but sk2710317 is only quoting, not asking. This is an
interesting turn on the usual drive-by posting, in that there is a full
quote but no response.

Singeing in particular refers to hair or fur, but being close enough to
the fire to singe hair is usually a bit painful. Actual burns may not
happen, though.

/dps "I think I've singed hair on a light bulb"

--
"I'm glad unicorns don't ever need upgrades."
"We are as up as it is possible to get graded!"
_Phoebe and Her Unicorn_, 2016.05.15

[CDB]

On 9/19/2018 3:49 AM, Snidely wrote:
> CDB explained:
>> sk27...@gmail.com wrote:

>>> On 3 July 2014 07:25:50 UTC+5:30, starbu...@gmail.com wrote:

>>>> She seldom or never looked through them, for they were their
>>>> state pair

>>>> - what does 'state pair' means?

>> if you have seen the earlier thread, you have had a thorough
>> explanation of that.

> True, but sk2710317 is only quoting, not asking. This is an
> interesting turn on the usual drive-by posting, in that there is a
> full quote but no response.

I saw the date, but it seemed to me that some recent arrivals might be
interested in the question, and some older ones might have forgotten the
details. Not to mention the lurkers.

[but once is enough]

>>>> singed cat: what does it mean?

>> A cat that has been burnt (perhaps by coming too close to a stove
>> or fireplace) will run away very quickly.

> Singeing in particular refers to hair or fur, but being close enough
> to the fire to singe hair is usually a bit painful. Actual burns may
> not happen, though.

> /dps "I think I've singed hair on a light bulb"

The expression as I have seen it is usually "... like a scalded cat". I
I decided not to go into our culture's long history of cruelty to cats.
It's unpleasant and embarrassing to contemplate, and there's no sense
giving people ideas.

[Tony Cooper]

No cats are injured when the cat is the metaphorical one that is being
swung in short arc. The only injury is to the sensibilities of the
observers who see it as a too-short arc.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida