Dec 9, 2008 20:05
15 yrs ago
English term
laying of
English
Art/Literary
Other
"Accepting that for these people the existence of the other side is a given is essential to understanding the behavior of 'Beloved'’s African American community, for example in the episode of their collective laying of Beloved’s ghost."
From the paper on Toni Morrison's 'Beloved'. I feel a little bit confused about this 'laying of' phrase. Any help would be nice...
From the paper on Toni Morrison's 'Beloved'. I feel a little bit confused about this 'laying of' phrase. Any help would be nice...
Responses
+5
46 mins
English term (edited):
ghost laying
Selected
putting the spirit (ghost) of a dead person to rest
'Gost laying' in the context of your question means any method or technique used to (supposedly) put the ghost, or spirit, of a dead person to rest or otherwise stop it from bothering living persons. Some religions have specific rituals or procedures for this purpose.
In your text 'the existence of the other side' refers to a belief in the existence of another world or afterlife, where persons who die in this world go after their death, and from which their ghosts can come back to haunt the living.
The modern (non-religious) US vernacular term for this is 'ghost busting'.
refs:
http://books.google.nl/books?id=ox3QRxWQQtcC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA2...
Reishi shôhô; Reikan shôhô (psychic medium trade)
Fraudulous business in which the agents frighten the client saying that the spirit of the dead is doing him/her harm, and then talks him/her into paying an enormous amount of money in exchange for ghost-laying. This became a serious social problem around 1990 when a certain internationally known politico-religious movement systematically carried out reikan shôhô.
http://www.jandodd.com/japan/glossary3.htm
In your text 'the existence of the other side' refers to a belief in the existence of another world or afterlife, where persons who die in this world go after their death, and from which their ghosts can come back to haunt the living.
The modern (non-religious) US vernacular term for this is 'ghost busting'.
refs:
http://books.google.nl/books?id=ox3QRxWQQtcC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA2...
Reishi shôhô; Reikan shôhô (psychic medium trade)
Fraudulous business in which the agents frighten the client saying that the spirit of the dead is doing him/her harm, and then talks him/her into paying an enormous amount of money in exchange for ghost-laying. This became a serious social problem around 1990 when a certain internationally known politico-religious movement systematically carried out reikan shôhô.
http://www.jandodd.com/japan/glossary3.htm
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you. You were very helpful"
+1
14 mins
to finally stop being worried or upset by something..
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/lay the ghost of
lay the ghost of something/someone (to rest)
to finally stop being worried or upset by something or someone that has worried or upset you for a long time.
With one stunning performance, Chelsea have laid to rest the ghost of their humiliating defeat at Old Trafford last season.
See also: ghost, lay
lay the ghost of something/someone (to rest)
to finally stop being worried or upset by something or someone that has worried or upset you for a long time.
With one stunning performance, Chelsea have laid to rest the ghost of their humiliating defeat at Old Trafford last season.
See also: ghost, lay
Reference:
Something went wrong...