Sep 24, 2012 17:20
12 yrs ago
English term
as close as the middle one of a stack
English
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"'You ain't such a bad little man,' says I, trying to be fair. 'I was thinking some of making orphans of your sheep, but I'll let you fly away this time. But you stick to pancakes,' says I,----------------------- 'as close as the middle one of a stack; -----------------------and don't go and mistake sentiments for syrup, or there'll be singing at your ranch, and you won't hear it.'
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Change log
Sep 24, 2012 17:20: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"
Responses
50 mins
Selected
as close (to the subject of pancakes) as the middle pancake in a stack of pancakes
The narrator certainly is warning Jackson Bird, the sheep man, not to take an amorous interest in Miss Learight, who makes the pancakes. Jackson protests that he only went to see her to try to get the pancake recipe. Here, the narrator is telling him to be sure (on pain of being shot) to confine his dealings with her to pancakes. So he is saying that Jackson should stick closely to pancakes and not let his interest wander beyond that. To stick to pancakes "as close as the middle one of a stack" is a hyperbolic way of saying as closely as possible; the pancake in the middle of a stack of pancakes is as close to pancakes as it is possible to get: it has nothing but other pancakes on either side, it is as far as possible from anything that is not a pancake. The expression is nothing to do with eating a stack of pancakes.
http://books.google.es/books?id=n3Rc3odoZnMC&pg=PA66&lpg=PA6...
http://books.google.es/books?id=n3Rc3odoZnMC&pg=PA66&lpg=PA6...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
28 mins
don't get too close/keep distance from woman
in other words, he can eat half the pancakes (in the stack on the plate) but needn't think of staying around long enough to eat them all or hanging around while she makes more and thus get close to her.
He is being warned to keep his distance from her or he will be killed (make orphans of your sheep)
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Note added at 47 mins (2012-09-24 18:07:54 GMT)
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the "woman"/ "her" being Miss Willella Learight.
Jud is trying to woo her but hears Jackson Bird the sheepman is hanging out with her.However, Jackson tells him a tall tale about just trying to get the pancake recipe from her...
He is being warned to keep his distance from her or he will be killed (make orphans of your sheep)
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Note added at 47 mins (2012-09-24 18:07:54 GMT)
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the "woman"/ "her" being Miss Willella Learight.
Jud is trying to woo her but hears Jackson Bird the sheepman is hanging out with her.However, Jackson tells him a tall tale about just trying to get the pancake recipe from her...
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