 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2008In order to get his roast sucking pig
Hello: "To burn his house down in order to get his roast sucking pig," is this an idiom? ----- True, he had lost all his money, his reputation, and his position as a gentleman; he had, in fact, had to burn his house down in order to get his roast sucking pig; but if asked whether he would rather be as he was now or as he was on the day before his arrest, he would not have had a moment's hesitation in preferring his present to his past. The Way of All Flesh, by Samuel Butler, p. 441 http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/bookid.265/sec.72/ ----- Thanks. Marius Hancu > Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/bookid.265/sec.72/ > ----- No, it's not an idiom. It refers to one of the Kai Lung stories by Ernest Bramah (first published in book form in 1902) in which the supposed origin of roast pork is recounted. A Chinese farmer accidentally burns down his house, and finds the resultant pig corpses delicious to eat. He later deliberately repeats the disaster, and soon pigsties all over China are being burned down. Eventually the Emperor has to intervene by making it lawful to kill the pig first before roasting it. After writing the previous paragraph I checked the dates and was surprised to see that Butler died in 1903, and that The Way of All Flesh, although not published until after his death, was written between 1873 and 1884. It may be, therefore, that the tale of the arsonist pig farmer pre-dates Bramah's famous story about it. Alternatively, it is entirely possible that the story in question first appeared in one of the many magazines of the time that regularly published short stories. I read most of the Kai Lung stories in my teens, and very amusing most of them are. I'm pleased to see that they're still in print -- must get hold of one to see if I still enjoy them. The account in the first paragraph is based on a memory of around 55 years ago, so if anyone wants to correct it I shall be interested to see what I got wrong. >> Hello: >> [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > paragraph is based on a memory of around 55 years ago, so if anyone > wants to correct it I shall be interested to see what I got wrong. Far be it from an insect wholly lacking in personal allure, whose ancestors had no qualities of which to boast save the inoffensiveness of their utter insignificance, such as the one who now has the temerity to address your dazzling presence, to question even the lightest utterance of a refined and elegant mandarin such as your celestial self, but isn't the roast pig story from Charles Lamb (he of the Tales)?  SignatureMike. -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com >>> "To burn his house down in order to get his roast sucking pig," is >>> this an idiom? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >>> a gentleman; he had, in fact, had to burn his house down in order to >>> get his roast sucking pig; but if asked whether he would rather be >> No, it's not an idiom. It refers to one of the Kai Lung stories by >> Ernest Bramah (first published in book form in 1902) ... >> After writing the previous paragraph I checked the dates and was >> surprised to see that Butler died in 1903, and that The Way of All [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> first appeared in one of the many magazines of the time that regularly >> published short stories. > Far be it from an insect wholly lacking in personal allure, whose > ancestors had no qualities of which to boast save the inoffensiveness of > their utter insignificance, such as the one who now has the temerity to > address your dazzling presence, to question even the lightest utterance > of a refined and elegant mandarin such as your celestial self, but isn't > the roast pig story from Charles Lamb (he of the Tales)? Indeed, it is, although he credits it aa a Chinese tale. "MANKIND, says a Chinese manuscript, which my friend M. was obliging enough to read and explain to me, ..." A Dissertation on Roast Pig, Charles Lamb, in _The Essays of Elia_, first printed in the _London Magazine_ September 1822. The entire thing is here: <http://www.angelfire.com/nv/mf/elia1/pig.htm> > Far be it from an insect wholly lacking in personal allure, whose > ancestors had no qualities of which to boast save the inoffensiveness of > their utter insignificance, such as the one who now has the temerity to > address your dazzling presence, to question even the lightest utterance > of a refined and elegant mandarin such as your celestial self, but isn't > the roast pig story from Charles Lamb (he of the Tales)? By golly, I believe you're right. Have I dreamt the Bramah connection, then? Entirely possible, as I may well have encountered him at around the same time as I did the Lamb's tale. Congratulations, by the way, on the very good Kai Lung pastiche. Don't tell me if it was of Charlie Chan, not Kai Lung! > No, it's not an idiom. It refers to one of the Kai Lung stories by > Ernest Bramah (first published in book form in 1902) in which the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > has to intervene by making it lawful to kill the pig first before > roasting it. Nice story. Thank you all. Marius Hancu >Hello: > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >now or as he was on the day before his arrest, he would not have had a >moment's hesitation in preferring his present to his past. Not that I know of, but it's quite a nice metaphor. Katy |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.