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judithk
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:37 pm
Post subject: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
(from The Sea - John Banville)
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John Dean
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:51 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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judithk wrote:
| Quote: | Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
(from The Sea - John Banville)
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It means Banville is at it again.
In this case, I would say he intends to convey that unkempt lawn is
attractive in its unkemptness.
--
John Dean
Oxford |
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Ross Howard
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:59 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 10:51:51 -0000, "John Dean"
<john-dean@frag.lineone.net> wrought:
| Quote: | judithk wrote:
Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
(from The Sea - John Banville)
It means Banville is at it again.
In this case, I would say he intends to convey that unkempt lawn is
attractive in its unkemptness.
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It could have been worse: he could have said "fetchingly unkempt".
--
Ross Howard
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 6:03 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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On 30 Oct 2005 02:37:40 -0800, "judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
| Quote: | Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
|
Nature, as is, can be beautiful.
--
Charles Riggs |
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judithk
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 6:15 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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thank you, John Dean and others, for your answer. I was not quite sure,
because I also thought about handsomely as in: 'he was handsomely paid
for his work'.
I have a few more questions about Banville-sentences. I hope you won't
mind. |
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Matti Lamprhey
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:04 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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"Charles Riggs" <chriggs@éircom.net> wrote...
| Quote: | "judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
Nature, as is, can be beautiful.
|
'Twere apposite to offload something that the handsomely kempt Molly
Mockford posted to ucle the other day:
New vicar to elderly villager: "I must say, Amos, between you and the
Lord, you've made a pretty good job of that garden."
Amos: "Ay, vicar, but you should have seen the state it was in when the
Lord did it all himself."
Matti |
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Donna Richoux
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:04 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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judithk <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
| Quote: | thank you, John Dean and others, for your answer. I was not quite sure,
because I also thought about handsomely as in: 'he was handsomely paid
for his work'.
|
Hi, Judith. Don't leap to any conclusions too fast. As knowledgeable as
our British participants are, they might not recognize an Irishism.
Encarta says:
hand·some·ly
1. generously: in an amount that is more than
expected
2. impressively: in a way that requires great skill
or agility
3. with great size or extent: in a way that is very
large in extent or size
I find that (3) makes sense -- largely unkempt, to a large extent
unkempt, mostly unkempt -- and would want to hear from someone Irish
about this. I don't recall that any of our current regulars are.
| Quote: | I have a few more questions about Banville-sentences. I hope you won't
mind.
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You might do better at soc.culture.irish.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux |
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judithk
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:28 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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| Thanks, Donna. I will ask in soc.culture irish. |
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JF
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:40 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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X-No-Archive: yes
In message <1130668660.006712.274030@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
judithk <judithk@wxs.nl> writes
| Quote: | What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
|
A writer who disliked mowing lawns striking slightly humorous note?
I liked it and refuse to dissect the sentence to find out what makes it
tick.
--
James Follett. Novelist. (G1LXP) http://www.jamesfollett.dswilliams.co.uk |
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M. J. Powell
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 8:33 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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In message <93a9m1ljmnj2d45uhklkqo7kk28junk3mk@4ax.com>, Charles Riggs
<chriggs@?.net.invalid> writes
| Quote: | On 30 Oct 2005 02:37:40 -0800, "judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
Nature, as is, can be beautiful.
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Indeed. God looks after my garden.
Mike
--
M.J.Powell |
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Robert Lieblich
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 8:50 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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"M. J. Powell" wrote:
| Quote: |
In message <93a9m1ljmnj2d45uhklkqo7kk28junk3mk@4ax.com>, Charles Riggs
chriggs@?.net.invalid> writes
On 30 Oct 2005 02:37:40 -0800, "judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
Nature, as is, can be beautiful.
Indeed. God looks after my garden.
|
Farmer Brown buys a run-down old place and works day and night to
bring it back to soundness and productivity. After many months of
labor he has the house and barn in decent shape, the fields weeded and
planted, and the livestock healthy. Along comes the local preacher,
and Farmer Brown gives him a tour. When the tour is over, the
preacher says: "Well, Farmer Brown, I have to say that you and God
have done a great job of fixing up this place." Farmer Brown replies:
"You should have seen it when only God was working on it."
--
Bob Lieblich
So how does that garden look? |
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CDB
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:06 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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"judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote in message
news:1130670902.555375.101810@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
| Quote: | thank you, John Dean and others, for your answer. I was not quite
sure,
because I also thought about handsomely as in: 'he was handsomely
paid
for his work'.
|
[...]
I was thinking the same thing. There is a suggestion of vigorous
growth, of lushness or lavishness, in the phrase. As you point out
with your example, it's the adverbial form, together with the
participial flavour of "unkempt", that does it. "A wedge of handsome
unkempt lawn" would just mean that it was attractive, though rumpled,
IMO. |
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M. J. Powell
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:16 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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In message <4364CFA7.CCDB4A50@verizon.net>, Robert Lieblich
<robert.lieblich@verizon.net> writes
| Quote: | "M. J. Powell" wrote:
In message <93a9m1ljmnj2d45uhklkqo7kk28junk3mk@4ax.com>, Charles Riggs
chriggs@?.net.invalid> writes
On 30 Oct 2005 02:37:40 -0800, "judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
Nature, as is, can be beautiful.
Indeed. God looks after my garden.
Farmer Brown buys a run-down old place and works day and night to
bring it back to soundness and productivity. After many months of
labor he has the house and barn in decent shape, the fields weeded and
planted, and the livestock healthy. Along comes the local preacher,
and Farmer Brown gives him a tour. When the tour is over, the
preacher says: "Well, Farmer Brown, I have to say that you and God
have done a great job of fixing up this place." Farmer Brown replies:
"You should have seen it when only God was working on it."
|
Exactly.
Mike
--
M.J.Powell |
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M. J. Powell
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:17 pm
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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In message <zr49f.923$XR4.3120@newscontent-01.sprint.ca>, CDB
<unbellecd@sprint.ca> writes
| Quote: |
"judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote in message
news:1130670902.555375.101810@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
thank you, John Dean and others, for your answer. I was not quite
sure,
because I also thought about handsomely as in: 'he was handsomely
paid
for his work'.
[...]
I was thinking the same thing. There is a suggestion of vigorous
growth, of lushness or lavishness, in the phrase. As you point out
with your example, it's the adverbial form, together with the
participial flavour of "unkempt", that does it. "A wedge of handsome
unkempt lawn" would just mean that it was attractive, though rumpled,
IMO.
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And the nautical sense: "Haul away handsomely, my lads'.
Mike
--
M.J.Powell |
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Scotius
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:45 am
Post subject: Re: handsomely (British or Irish) |
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On 30 Oct 2005 02:37:40 -0800, "judithk" <judithk@wxs.nl> wrote:
| Quote: | Dear language experts,
What would you think handsomely means in the following sentence:
A window that looked out on a wedge of handsomely unkempt lawn.
(from The Sea - John Banville)
|
My parents have a very nice yard of more than 4 acres size. We
don't use fertilizer or any of that kind of thing on it. We've planted
a few trees, but most of the ones there are natural. Some lean, we
have some crabgrass, blue grass, etc, here and there, and we don't
weed it or try to make it all the same throughout. People who have
visited have said it's one of the nicest yards they've seen in the
county. THAT is "handsomely unkempt". |
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