Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: an idiom

  1. #1
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    14

    an idiom

    I've once met the idiom, in David G. Brin I think - "the act of kicking the sofa". Still curious - what might it mean?

  2. #2
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    с. Хреновое Воронежской обл.
    Posts
    2,481
    Rep Power
    17
    You came across an idiom, that is. It's hard to say what it means without the context you saw it in, but I'm guessing it means here "to die."

  3. #3
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    China
    Posts
    860
    Rep Power
    14
    hmm 'kick the bucket' is die in British idiom .. kick the sofa doesn't have the same ring to it. Perhaps it's the middle class version
    Море удачи и дачу у моря

  4. #4
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    с. Хреновое Воронежской обл.
    Posts
    2,481
    Rep Power
    17
    "Kick the bucket" is an American idiom for "die" as well, so I was just guessing the writer was trying to put a new humorous spin on it, or something.

  5. #5
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mowcow, Russia
    Posts
    1,957
    Rep Power
    15
    I think that it is not an idiom at all. It should be understood literally as a description of aome stupid behavior. This alien guy's daughter was doing something she was not supposed to do. It was just as stupid (from his point of view) as kicking a sofa would be for a human girl.

  6. #6
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    с. Хреновое Воронежской обл.
    Posts
    2,481
    Rep Power
    17
    Aliens? You see how important context is when you ask people to explain things, greubau?

  7. #7
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    14
    Well, somewhy it was looking very like an idiom to me, like those having pretty common meaning in some areas... There was another megabyte of things like this, but I endured Thing in question is from the Brin's "The Uplift War", somewhere near the beginning. The whole thing is somewhat interesting, but gets extremely trendy near the end. Although maybe I am too picky after reading A.Gromov's 1001 mogicans .

  8. #8
    Увлечённый спикер TexasMark's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Остин, Техас
    Posts
    50
    Rep Power
    14
    This one intrigued me and through the magic of the internet, I was able to quickly locate the whole passage. I think in this context it simply means "kicking the sofa" as in someone kicking the sofa . . . no idiomatic intent at all. This passage is pretty strange; reminds me of why I rarely read SciFi. Can't be the best of places to learn English . . .

    "Tendrils wafted alongside her head, ungentle in their agitation. Athaclena let her frustration and anger fizz like static electricity at the tips of the silvery strands. Their ends waved as if of their own accord, like slender fingers, shaping her almost palpable resentment into something...
    Nearby, one of the humans awaiting an audience with the Planetary Coordinator sniffed the air and looked around, puzzled. He moved away from Athaclena, without quite knowing why he felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. He was probably a natural, if primitive, empath. Some men and women were able vaguely to kenn Tymbrimi empathy-glyphs, though few ever had the training to interpret anything more than vague emotions.
    Someone else also noticed what Athaclena was doing. Across the public room, standing amid a small crowd of humans, her father lifted his head suddenly. His own corona of tendrils remained smooth and undisturbed, but Uthacalthing cocked his head and turned slightly to regard her, his expression both quizzical and slightly amused.
    It might have been similar if a human parent had caught his daughter in the act of kicking the sofa, or muttering to herself sullenly. The frustration at the core was very nearly the same, except that Athaclena expressed it through her Tymbrimi aura rather than an outward tantrum. At her father's glance she hurriedly drew back her waving tendrils and wiped away the ugly sense-glyph she had been crafting overhead."
    Yes, I live in Texas. No, I don't support Bush.

  9. #9
    Новичок
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    7
    Rep Power
    14
    Well it's not quite so that I am trying to learn the language this way. In fact, I am the kind of freak that believes that any literary creation of worth should be read in its original language, most preferrably.

    Besides, two books from the second Uplift trilogy has not yet been translated into Russian, so I've tried to get used to that what is inevitable.

  10. #10
    Aaa
    Aaa is offline
    Почётный участник
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    84
    Rep Power
    14
    It was not an idiom, not a standard piece of english speech. The author just described an absurd occurrence. His point was that a parent who saw a child kicking the sofa or muttering to themselves would consider it to be odd and a reason for a slight concern about the child's well-being.

  11. #11
    Подающий надежды оратор
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    14

    an idiom

    The key to the meaning of "kicking the sofa" is the word "frustration" in the following sentence.

    An angry, frustrated teenager takes it out on the furniture -- and so, kicks the sofa.

    The character was full of frustration -- he wanted to hit or kick something.

    "outward tantrum" -- like, kicking a sofa
    .................
    студент: "Я часто вижу себя во сне как профессором. Что мне нужно сделать?"
    профессор: "По-меньше спать!"

  12. #12
    Почтенный гражданин
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    303
    Rep Power
    13
    Before the last two posts pointing out the context, I got lost in the myriad of wordiness beforehand.(which I liked).
    Quote Originally Posted by TexasMark
    It might have been similar if a human parent had caught his daughter in the act of kicking the sofa
    So, missing the context, I thought this phrase was just another of the millions of sexual connotations out there.ie. the parents caught their daughter on her back, having sex.

Similar Threads

  1. Idiom o' the Day #8
    By carperdiem in forum Daily Progress
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: January 20th, 2010, 02:11 AM
  2. Idiom, or...
    By Sargarosa in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: August 25th, 2009, 07:42 PM
  3. Idiom o' the Day: #6
    By carperdiem in forum Daily Progress
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: March 13th, 2006, 04:36 PM
  4. Idiom o' the Day: #1
    By carperdiem in forum Daily Progress
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: March 1st, 2004, 07:27 PM
  5. Idiom o' the Day #7
    By carperdiem in forum Daily Progress
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: February 25th, 2004, 06:09 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary