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Thread: bite your hand off[

  1. #1
    bagzi94's Avatar
    bagzi94 is offline Senior Member
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    Default bite your hand off[

    - No point in offering you the Paris job, I suppose?

    - I'd bite your hand off
    .
    - Can you start in a month?

    - Sorry, no.

    - Six weeks, then.
    I'll advertise for someone to take over here
    and you can join me in Paris.

    - I don't think the Paris job is for me.

    - Well, it is our flagship hotel,
    and a second ago, you were biting my hand off.


    What's the meaning?

  2. #2
    Rover_KE is offline VIP Member
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    Default Re: bite your hand off[

    'I'd bite your hand off' means 'I'd jump at the chance', 'I'd accept your offer in a flash'.

    Rover
    emsr2d2 and bagzi94 like this.

  3. #3
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    BobK is offline Harmless drudge
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    Default Re: bite your hand off[


    Quote Originally Posted by bagzi94 View Post
    - No point in offering you the Paris job, I suppose?

    - I'd bite your hand off
    .
    - Can you start in a month?

    - Sorry, no.

    - Six weeks, then.
    I'll advertise for someone to take over here
    and you can join me in Paris.

    - I don't think the Paris job is for me.

    - Well, it is our flagship hotel,
    and a second ago, you were biting my hand off.


    What's the meaning?
    Think of feeding a pet; if it's very hungry it nips your fingers as it's so keen on gobbling up whatever's on offer. That idea is behind the idiom 'bite your hand off'.

    That being the case, your dialogue doesn't seem to make much sense - unless there's something in the context that explains the sudden change of heart.

    b
    Hedwig likes this.

  4. #4
    riquecohen's Avatar
    riquecohen is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: bite your hand off[

    Quote Originally Posted by Rover_KE View Post
    'I'd bite your hand off' means 'I'd jump at the chance', 'I'd accept your offer in a flash'.

    Rover
    I've never heard this definition used in the US.

    Quote Originally Posted by BobK View Post



    Think of feeding a pet; if it's very hungry it nips your fingers as it's so keen on gobbling up whatever's on offer. That idea is behind the idiom 'bite your hand off'.

    That being the case, your dialogue doesn't seem to make much sense - unless there's something in the context that explains the sudden change of heart.

    b
    There is also the idiom "Don't bite the hand that feeds you", which also makes no sense in in this context. bite the hand that feeds you

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