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Wed 23 Jun, 2004 10:48 am
Context:
In comparison to these self-serving, often turgid attempts to defend his reputation, Mr. Clinton's account of his youth in Arkansas possesses a pleasing emotional directness. His portraits of life in
the raffish Hot Springs and the more sedate Hope(towns that would became the polestars of his Janus-faced personality, what political guru Dick Morris once called "Saturday Night Bill" and "Sunday Morning Clinton") may lack the raw energy of his mother Virginia Kelley's reminiscences, set down in her 1994 book "Leading With My Heart," but he does provide the reader with some telling snapshots of his awkward childhood: a fat, self-conscious boy dressed in a new Easter outfit every year - including, one year, pink and black Hush Puppies and a matching pink suede belt; breaking his leg trying to jump rope wearing cowboy boots; devouring books about Geronimo and Crazy Horse at the local library.
(1) Raffish = notorious?
(2) Hope is the name of a town? If so, why did the reporter note "towns"?
(Hmm, got the (2), the reporter meant both "Hot Springs town and Hope town". But I have seen in another source in which the writer said that is "Hot Springs Village", not town. Which one is correct?
Hot Springs and Hope are both places. Hence the plural, towns.
Raffish means rough around the edges. I believe there is more than one Hot Springs so that might be a reason for the confusion.
Hi jespah, thanks for the reply.
I also didn't get clearly about "a fat, self-conscious boy dressed in a new Easter outfit every year - including, one year, pink and black Hush Puppies and a matching pink suede belt; breaking his leg trying to jump rope wearing cowboy boots; devouring books about Geronimo and Crazy Horse at the local library. "
In my understanging,
one year = there was one year;
Hush Puppies = a brand name of clothes;
breaking his leg trying to jump rope wearing cowboy boots = breaking his leg when trying to jump rope when wearing cowboy boots
Hush puppies are a kind of inexpensive shoes (actually, I think they've gone upscale and are pretty expensive these days).
Otherwise, perfect! :-D
Hmm, did you mean the brand name now is notable and its products are expensive while in Clinton's childhood it was cheap (but it had been notable then?)
It's not exactly notable, it just costs more. I remember them as being cheap when I was a kid (I'm about 15? years younger than Clinton) but I think now Hush Puppies have gone upscale.
Raffish doesn't mean quite that:
5 entries found for raffish.
raff·ish P Pronunciation Key (rfsh)
adj.
Cheaply or showily vulgar in appearance or nature; tawdry.
Characterized by a carefree or fun-loving unconventionality; rakish.
[Probably from dialectal raff, rubbish, from Middle English raf, perhaps of Scandinavian origin.]
raffish·ly adv.
raffish·ness n.
raffish
\Raff"ish\, a. Resembling, or having the character of, raff, or a raff; worthless; low.
A sad, raffish, disreputable character. --Thackeray.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
raffish
adj 1: marked by smartness in dress and manners; "a dapper young man"; "a jaunty red hat" [syn: dapper, dashing, jaunty, natty, rakish, smart, snappy, spruce] 2: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness; "a cocktail party given by some...raffish bachelors"- Crary Moore [syn: devil-may-care, rakish]
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University
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