Waugh: put his nose at something

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Marius Hancu - 05 Jan 2010 12:27 GMT

Hello:

Is
"to put his nose at something/it"
an idiom?

Now, what is the meaning of
"I was brought up short?"
It seems to me
"I stopped short of the obstacle,"
but I am not quite sure of the agent who performs the action.

Also
"backing against the spurs"
does it mean
"backing away from the obstacle by pushing back against the spurs"
or
"backing away from the obstacle, even under the action of the spurs?"

-----
[Ryder thinking about himself]

How often, it seemed to me, I was brought up short, like a horse in
full stride suddenly refusing an obstacle, backing against the spurs,
too shy even to put his nose at it and look at the thing.

Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited, p. 843
----
--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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Peter Duncanson (BrE) - 05 Jan 2010 13:05 GMT

>Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>"I stopped short of the obstacle,"
>but I am not quite sure of the agent who performs the action.

Being "brought up short" is to react to something so that one's forward
progress (literal or metaphorical) ceases.

You, Marius, have frequently been "brought up short" when reading a
book. You will be reading it and then meet a word or phrase that you
don't fully understand. You stop reading to think about the word or
phrase. The unfamiliar word or phrase is an obstacle to your unimpeded
reading. It brings you up short. Strictly speaking you bring yourself up
short in respeonse to this obstacle, but the idiom expresses it
differently.

>Also
>"backing against the spurs"
>does it mean
>"backing away from the obstacle by pushing back against the spurs"
>or
>"backing away from the obstacle, even under the action of the spurs?"

The latter.

>-----
>[Ryder thinking about himself]
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited, p. 843
>----

Signature

Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

Reply to this Message

Marius Hancu - 05 Jan 2010 13:09 GMT

On Jan 5, 8:05 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

> >Is
> >"to put his nose at something/it"
> >an idiom?

[snip]

Thank you.
Marius Hancu

Reply to this Message

Peter Duncanson (BrE) - 05 Jan 2010 14:48 GMT

>Hello:
>
>Is
>"to put his nose at something/it"
>an idiom?

It is not an idiom that I know of. It seems to be a literal use. The
horse does not look at the obstacle, "put (or point) its nose at it",
but turns its head away from it.

<snip>

>-----
>[Ryder thinking about himself]
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited, p. 843
>----

Signature

Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

Reply to this Message

Marius Hancu - 05 Jan 2010 16:21 GMT

On Jan 5, 9:48 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

> >Is
> >"to put his nose at something/it"
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> horse does not look at the obstacle, "put (or point) its nose at it",
> but turns its head away from it.

That was what I though.

Thank you.
Marius Hancu

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010

Waugh: put his nose at something