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I was reading a story online here:-
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/22488/
I am unable to understand the meaning of the following sentence:-
"Ay," said Robertson, the trading skipper, "and a good man with his mauleys, too. He's the champion knocker-out in Samoa, and is a match for any Englishman in Polynesia, let alone foreigners"--with a sour glance at the German.
Any help or discussion is appreciated!
Thanks
Hi teenup I cannot get the link to open.
What is the story/book called?
and who is it by?
This is a short story "Tis in the blood" by "Louis Becke".
I checked the link once again, its opening up.
Got it...ok back in few minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by teenup
I think 'mauleys' means fists as the phrase 'knocker-out' indicates someone who can fight well.
Quote:
"Ay," said Robertson, the trading skipper, "and a good man with his mauleys, too. He's the champion knocker-out in Samoa, and is a match for any Englishman in Polynesia, let alone foreigners"--with a sour glance at the German.
Mauley should be spelt mollet which is a french word for calves.
So I am guessing Robertson is talking about Dot, as being a big guy, because he says he is the ,
''champion knocker-out ''which means he is the best fighter/boxer in Samoa.
He also goes on to say that Dot could be the perfect match to any English boxers/fighters in Polynesia and even for foreigners.
Hope this helped.
I think 'dot' is the way a German would say 'that' as in 'that's a big fellow.'Quote:
Originally Posted by cacian
The person he is actually referring to is called Allan. I don't think having big calves would indicate someone who is good at boxing; I suspect that 'mauleys' is a mispronunciation of maulers, coming from the verb to maul as in to handle roughly. The word maul also refers to a heavy wooden mallet.
Looking at the word http://tfd.com/knocker I didn't find anything that matches with this meaning - 'Allan is a Boxer'?
and what is the meaning of the last part of the sentence - "with a sour glance at the german" ?
Haven't you ever heard of the phrase to knock someone out? It's what happens in boxing matches. The character in the story using 'knocker out, ' is combining a verb ' to knock' with an adverb 'out' to make up an imaginary word that means someone who knock's out his opponents.Quote:
Originally Posted by teenup
'Sour', in this context, means 'disagreeable'.
Ah got it thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
LOL sorry I just went with I thought the word sounded like. It just goes to show that slang and dialect as well as accents do not help the reader understanding the true nature of a book.Quote:
The person he is actually referring to is called Allan. I don't think having big calves would indicate someone who is good at boxing;
This makes sense. Thank you Emil:smile5:Quote:
I suspect that 'mauleys' is a mispronunciation of maulers, coming from the verb to maul as in to handle roughly. The word maul also refers to a heavy wooden mallet.
Its much clear now. Thank you both!
I suspect "mauleys" is referring to his fists. Just like in a different context I might refer to my hands as "hamburger-holders." It may be a phrase you've never heard before (because it is made up on the spot) but the context makes it understandable.