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Wed 26 Oct, 2011 01:22 am
In "if they didn’t hush them and not fret them," whom does "they" refer to? them = ?
Context:
Sometimes, in the course of long summer evenings, the friends would take a stroll together in the Wild Wood, now successfully tamed so far as they were concerned; and it was pleasing to see how respectfully they were greeted by the inhabitants, and how the mother-weasels would bring their young ones to the mouths of their holes, and say, pointing, ‘Look, baby! There goes the great Mr. Toad! And that’s the gallant Water Rat, a terrible fighter, walking along o’ him! And yonder comes the famous Mr. Mole, of whom you so often have heard your father tell!’ But when their infants were fractious and quite beyond control, they would quiet them by telling how, if they didn’t hush them and not fret them, the terrible grey Badger would up and get them. This was a base libel on Badger, who, though he cared little about Society, was rather fond of children; but it never failed to have its full effect.
@Lustig Andrei,
Lustig Andrei wrote:
"their infants"
Thank you.
"They" refers to "their infants?" So "them" refers to what? (That is, hush them (hush what?) - (them = themselves?)
@oristarA,
them= themselves. Yes. The writer is speaking a kind of back country talk where words get shortened sometimes.
Maybe the same kind of thing happens out in the rural areas of your country too.
Joe( mebbe)Nation
@Joe Nation,
Joe Nation wrote:
them= themselves. Yes. The writer is speaking a kind of back country talk where words get shortened sometimes.
Maybe the same kind of thing happens out in the rural areas of your country too.
Joe( mebbe)Nation
Thank you Joe.
However, I failed to understand "not fret them." Does it mean "not restrict themselves?"
means:
- if they didn't make them be quiet and not upset them -
@PUNKEY,
PUNKEY wrote:
means:
- if they didn't make them be quiet and not upset them -
Thanks. Sorry still confusing:
"not upset them?" not upset whom?
@oristarA,
the mother-weasels are telling the small weasels that if they (the small weasels) don't stop fussing and making noise, the grey Badger will harm them
Look into your thesaurus for synonyms for fretfulness.
@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:
the mother-weasels are telling the small weasels that if they (the small weasels) don't stop fussing and making noise, the grey Badger will harm them
Look into your thesaurus for synonyms for fretfulness.
Your explanation is very clear.
Thanks.
But as Joe Nation has pointed out, those forms of shortening cannot be looked up from any dictionaries. Never is there a dict that has defined "them" as "themselves." So the puzzle remains: "fret them" = "fret themselves?"
@oristarA,
Have you looked up the synonyms for fret/fretfulness?
@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:
Have you looked up the synonyms for fret/fretfulness?
Even in the word fret itself's definitions I found no suitable one there:
fret1 /frɛt/ Show Spelled [fret] Show IPA verb, fret·ted, fret·ting,noun verb (used without object) 1.to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like: Fretting about the lost ring isn't going to help. 2.to cause corrosion; gnaw into something: acids that fret at the strongest metals. 3.to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.: The river frets at its banks until a new channel is formed. 4.to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often followed by away): Limestone slowly frets away under pounding by the wind and rain. 5.to move in agitation or commotion, as water: water fretting over the stones of a brook. verb (used with object) 6.to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex: You mustn't fret yourself about that. 7.to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.: the ocean fretting its shores. 8.to form or make by wearing away a substance: The river had fretted an underground passage. 9.to agitate (water): Strong winds were fretting the channel.
@oristarA,
Definition No. 1 is the one you want here.
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