Activity for English 12 Students (The Catcher in the Rye)
Find and explain at least one idiom (idiomatic expression) from the novel. Check with an English speaker for help with meaning or, better yet, use The Idiom Dictionary online to get the meaning (use quotes on their definition!). Identify the page number, also.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/
Check the comments first to make sure you are not repeating an idiom presented by another student. Students who present two or more idioms will receive a higher mark. Minimum is one per student.
One example from page 13 comes in the following sentences: “I’m lucky, though. I mean I could shoot the bull to old Spencer and think about those ducks at the same time. It’s funny. You don’t have to think too hard when you talk to a teacher.” (my italics).
From the context, it is possible to guess that “shoot the bull” is a form of informal conversation, often also meaning that the conversation is unimportant.
13 comments:
1."I’ll drop you a line, sir. Take care of your grippe, now."(p.15)
We can guess that "drop someone a line" means leave or send some kind of messages to somebody, and actually it means “writing a short letter to someone”.
2. "They gave me frequent warning to start applying myself—especially around midterms, when my parents came up for a conference with old Thurmer--but I didn't do it. So I got the ax. They give guys the ax quite frequently at Pencey. "(p.4)
We can guess that“get the ax” means lose job, while, in this essay, it means dropping out school.
3. "He was pretty nice about it. I mean he didn't hit the ceiling or anything. "(p.8)
According to the text we may possibly guess that “hit the ceiling ” has something to do with being angry, however, “to suddenly become very angry” is more accurate.
4. " I don't give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age.”(p.9)
From the context, we can guess that "not give a damn"means do not care about something.
5." I had to sit there and listen to that crap. It certainly was a dirty trick."(p.11)
Judging by the phrase "have to" and the word "crap", we can guess that "dirty trick" possibly means something that one is not willing to do, and actually it means "a dishonest action."
6."Listen. What's the routine on joining a monastery?" I asked him. I was sort of toying with the idea of joining one. "Do you have to be a Catholic and all?"(p.50)
We can guess that "toy with something" means thinking about something, but that’s half the answer and "to think about something but not seriously" is absolutely right.
7. "I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all, and if you do like her, then you're supposed to like her face, and if you like her face, you ought to be careful about doing crumby stuff to it, like squirting water all over it. "(p.62)
"horse around" here, means that "to be active in a silly way."
8. "Cut the crap, now. Let's have it."(p.101)
Actually, "cut the crap" is very informal, and it means asking someone to stop talking about meaningless things in a rude way.
9."I figured it was some perverty bum that'd sneaked in the school late at night to take a leak or something and then wrote it on the wall."(p.201)
"take a leak", which is a very informal phrase means "to pass liquid waste out of body".
10. "Then the old lady that was around a hundred years old and I shot the breeze for a while, She was pretty nice, and I told her how I'd gone there to school, too, and my brothers. "(p.201)
It’s easy to guess that "shot the breeze" has the same meaning as"shot the bull", and it means "having a relaxed conversation."
1. “M’boy, if I felt any better I’d have to send for the doctor,” old Spencer said. That knocked him out. (Page 8)
“Knock somebody out” means “to make someone very tired” in this sentence. It also means “to hit someone so that they become unconscious, to remove someone from a competition or to cause someone to go to sleep”.
2. Then all of a sudden old Spencer looked like he had something very good, something sharp as a tack, to say to me. (Page 10)
“Sharp as a tack” means “very intelligent”.
3. “You mean about my flunking out of Pency and all?” I said. (Page 13)
“Flunk out (of school)” means “to be forced to leave school because of failing work”.
Thanks Yi and Yang for your early start. Very helpful for everyone to help with the idioms.
1."I’ll be up the creek if I don’t get it in.”(P. 28) which could be said as,” I’ll be in the trouble if I don’t get it in.”
2."Nobody was around anyway. Everybody was in the sack.”(P.53) “in the sack” could be explained as inside the house.
3.Holden says, “And they weren’t just shooting the crap.”(P.38) when he mentions how Allie’s teachers compliment Allie. Also, in the conversation between Holden and the lady on the train, on page 55, “Then I started shooting the old crap around a little bit”. In both, “shooting the crap” means talk nonsense and is similar to “shot the bull” and “shot the breeze”
4.After Holden start to cry, he says, “once you get started, you can’t just stop on a goddam dime.”{P.179}”can’t stop on a goddam dime.” Illustrates can’t stop easily.
1.I felt like giving somebody a buzz. (p. 59) Here “give somebody a buzz” means making a phone call to someone. However, natural meaning of a buzz is a bee sound.
2.“Did you ever get fed up?” I said. “I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to lousy unless you did something? I mean do you like school, and all that staff?”(P130) “ Fed up” means unable or unwilling to put up with something any longer. But, according the coming sentence, we may guess “fed up” means scared.
1. I slid way the hell down in my chair and watched old Ackley making himself at
home. (p.21)
It means, “Ackley makes himself comfortable as in his own home”
2. I kept saying, “Mother darling, why won’t you give me your hand?” (p.22)
It means, “Why won’t you help me”
. 3. “No kidding, you gonna use your hound’s tooth tonight or not? I spilled some
Crap all over my gray flannel “(p.25)
It means, “I spilled something all over my gray flannel and it is dirty, I can’t use
It”
4. I didn’t have anything special to do, so I went down to the can and chewed the
Rag with him while he was shaving. (p.26)
It means, “I had a conversation with him.”
5. He gave out a big yawn while he said that. Which is something that gives me a
Royal pain in the ass.(p.28)
It’s an informal idiom it means, “He did something that really bothered him”
6. “What for?” I said. God, my old heart was damn near beat beating me out of
The room. (p.101)
It means, “He is really scared and his heart beat is very fast.
7. She was all out of breath from the crazy suitcase.(p.206)
It means, “She was very tired form carrying the suitcase”
8. I figured it was a good chance to catch up with her and all. (p.209)
He means, “To find all the news he doesn’t know from the lady”
. 9. “No shut up” I thought I was going pass out cold. (p.206)
Holden thought “He was going to become unconscious” because he doesn’t
Accept what his sister says.
. 10. That story just about killed me. (p.18)
It means, “This story is unbelievable to me.”
1. I should’ve wave a buck under the head-waiter’s nose. In New York, money really talks-I’m not kidding (p 69)
According to the dictionary, the idiom “money talks” means “money can influence what is done or how it is done,”
or “people who are rich have a lot of power and influence.” Here in the Lavender Room, the waiter looks down on
Holden
2. He was a very nice kid, and I like him, but I never see eye to eye with him on a lot of stuff in the Bible, especially the Disciples. (p 99)
Just guess, “see eye to eye” seems like a pair of lovers do. Yes, it means “to agree with each other”. Like the sentence above, it is often used in the negative form.
‘’ I’ll leave this right here. Just dive in, you two,’’ she said. She put the tray down on the cigarette table, pushing ... (p. 185)
It’s easy to guess that “just dive in” means, “just get started”or help yourself.
“I had my door key with me and all, and I figured what I’d do, I’d sneak in the apartment, very quit and all, and just sort of chew the fat with her for a while ” (p.156)
“ Sneak in the apartment ” means, “ to go inside the apartment quietly ”
“Chew the fat with her” is to have conversation with her.
1."They were both around seventy years old, or even more than that. They got a bang out of things, though-in a half-assed way, of course."(p.6)
We can guess that " [get] a bang out of things " means to receive special pleasure from something.
2. "He was always yelling, outside class. It got on your nerves sometimes. "(p.7)
We can guess that “[get] on your nerves” means to irritate you.
3. "He started chuckling like a madman. Then he finally straightened himself out… "(p.8)
According to the text we may possibly guess that “[straighten] himself out” means to make himself understand.
4. "He also started picking his nose. He made out like he was only pinching it…”(p.9)
From the context, we can guess that " [make] out " means to manage to do it so.
5."That’s something that drives me crazy."(p.10)
Judging by the sentence, we can guess that " [drive] me crazy" possibly means to annoy or irritate me.
6."Then I said, “The reason you’re sore at Stradlater is because he said that stuff about brushing your teeth once in a while.”"(p.24)
We can guess that " you’re sore at" means you’re angry at.
7. "Not too enthusiastic. He was always asking you to do him a big favor."(p.27)
" do him a big favor” here means that to help him out.
8. "Boy, I nearly dropped dead when he said that."(p.31) "[drop] dead" here means to being shocked by something terribly.
9."I couldn’t get her off my mind. I really couldn’t."(p.32)
" get her off my mind " means to stop thinking about her.
10. "I’m not in the mood right now…You have to be in the mood for those things."(p.33)
It’s easy to guess that " not in the mood " means not to wish to do something.
1.“Anyway, as soon as I got my breath back I ran across Route 204.” P5
According to the text we may guess “got my breath back” means “I can breathe smoothly.”
2.“I’d have come over to say good-by anyway.” P7
From the text we can know “come over” means “a casual visit.”
3.“He wouldn’t have understood it anyway. It wasn’t up his alley at all.” P13
We can guess “It wasn’t up his alley at all” means “He was not interested in it.” Actually it means “it is exactly the type of thing that he knows about or likes to do.”
4.“I’ll be all right. I’m just going through a phase right now.” p15
From the text, we may guess “going through” means “undergo or suffer.”
5.There was a shower right between every two rooms in our wing, and about eight-five times a day old Ackley barged in on me. P19
“Barge in” means “enter uninvited.”
6.“Well, just cut out calling me—” P25
It’s easy to guess that “cut out” means “to stop or to cease.”
7.“Something like that—a guy getting hit on the head with a rock or something—tickled the pants off Ackley.” P23
“Tickled the pants off ", which is a very informal phrase means “to make Ackley feel very amused and delighted.”
if you were having a "bull session" in somebody's room,....(p.167:24)
"bull session", slang. A long informal talk about something by a group of persons.
1)"drive me crazy" to provoke or anger.
2)"knock someone out" to put one into a state of unconscious/ not aware.
3)"horse around" to rough play
cynthia said...
1."I’ll be up the creek if I don’t get it in.”(P. 28) which could be said as,” I’ll be in the trouble if I don’t get it in.”
2."Nobody was around anyway. Everybody was in the sack.”(P.53) “in the sack” could be explained as inside the house.
3.Holden says, “And they weren’t just shooting the crap.”(P.38) when he mentions how Allie’s teachers compliment Allie. Also, in the conversation between Holden and the lady on the train, on page 55, “Then I started shooting the old crap around a little bit”. In both, “shooting the crap” means talk nonsense and is similar to “shot the bull” and “shot the breeze”
4.After Holden start to cry, he says, “once you get started, you can’t just stop on a goddam dime.”{P.179}”can’t stop on a goddam dime.” Illustrates can’t stop easily.
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