Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2010

Hello:

Any distinction between
"wade"
and
"wade out?"

I'm not sure if the "out" is related to "exit" for this phrasal verb,
as he's still crossing:

---
[Crossing a creek]

... he slipped to one knee and soaked his shoe trying to break his
fall. He righted himself with difficulty and poured the water out of
his shoes. Since he was already wet, there was no point in turning
back; he waded on out. After half a minute, the creek bed dropped six
inches and he fell again, only now he was completely under ...

Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon, p. 251
---

Also, see this other example (the 2nd para in the page at the link):
---
Let your three-year-old daughter decide when she wants to dabble one
foot in
the lake, wet her legs, and wade out to her chest.

The parent's preschooler dictionary: commonsense solutions to
early ...? - Page 76
Elinor Verville - Family & Relationships - 1995 - 274 pages
http://tinyurl.com/yd6mx4w
----
which again shows only entry, not exit.

--
Thanks.
Marius Hancu

Out from the bank towards the deeper water/middle of the creek.

...

Generally in English,
1.  the verb WADE = to walk in water.   A safe path in
tidewater (dry at low tide, underwater at high tide) is
called a (noun) WADE.
2.  the verb WADE IN has two meanings
   -- to wade deeper i.e. to go into deeper water
   -- to enter, cf. (metaphorically) "The two dogs started to
fight and Bob waded in to separate them. . . "
3.  the verb WADE OUT has two (contradictory) meanings
   -- to go far out, e.g. "He waded out to the boat . . . "
   -- to leave the water, "He waded out and dried his feet."

"Out", here, means "away from the shore".