Talked himself onto dry spittle

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Marius Hancu - 31 Oct 2008 09:23 GMT

Hello:

Do you feel that this sentence
"he had talked himself onto dry spittle"
is an idiom?

I'm talking about "onto," which sometimes shows some olden history of
the phrase.

---------
[Basteshaw, a fanatical researcher, tries to convince Augie of his
reasoning about the chemical and physiological origins of boredom.]

"[...] then the first cells I made lacked two essential powers, the
regenerative and the reproductive, and were sterile and fragile forms.
But in the last two years I've made a special study of biological
organizers. I've been in embryology, and I've made some further
discoveries."

He had to take a swig of water, for he had talked himself onto dry
spittle. Huge-headed, huge-chested, stalwart, calm, he was like an
enormous case of the finest capacities. Like one of those Egyptian mummy
cases that follow the outlines of the bodies they enclose.

Augie March, by Bellow, p. 551
---------

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Lars Eighner - 31 Oct 2008 10:21 GMT

> Hello:

> Do you feel that this sentence
> "he had talked himself onto dry spittle"
> is an idiom?

Not that I know of. I gather you understand the meaning. This is a
slightly odd expression which I think was coined here. The "onto" has a
nuance of progressing, as if by marching. So if it were:

He talked himself onto thin ice

we would understand "thin ice" is a figure for a dangerous situation and
would take the whole to be "He talked until was talking about a sensitive
subject."

But "dry spittle" is not a figure. It is to be taken literally.
Nonetheless, the "onto" has the flavor of motion and direction. This
contributes in a very minor way to them impression that he was speaking
earnestly and purposefully.

> I'm talking about "onto," which sometimes shows some olden history of
> the phrase.

> ---------
> [Basteshaw, a fanatical researcher, tries to convince Augie of his
> reasoning about the chemical and physiological origins of boredom.]

> "[...] then the first cells I made lacked two essential powers, the
> regenerative and the reproductive, and were sterile and fragile forms.
> But in the last two years I've made a special study of biological
> organizers. I've been in embryology, and I've made some further
> discoveries."

> He had to take a swig of water, for he had talked himself onto dry
> spittle. Huge-headed, huge-chested, stalwart, calm, he was like an
> enormous case of the finest capacities. Like one of those Egyptian mummy
> cases that follow the outlines of the bodies they enclose.

> Augie March, by Bellow, p. 551
> ---------

> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

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Lars Eighner <http://larseighner.com/> usenet@larseighner.com
Q. What did Palin do that Obama could not do?
A. Got me to vote for Obama.

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Marius Hancu - 31 Oct 2008 10:27 GMT

> But "dry spittle" is not a figure. It is to be taken literally.

That's what I did:-)

> Nonetheless, the "onto" has the flavor of motion and direction. This
> contributes in a very minor way to the impression that he was speaking
> earnestly and purposefully.

Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / October 2008

Talked himself onto dry spittle