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Dear teacher,
Would you please help me with the meanings of these phrases? (You have been a great help to me, before.) What are the meanings of “diamond-studied”, “Chair-puller” and “went all to pieces” in the following context?
Thanks,
Payam
- Goethe was particularly impressed by his diamond-studied hussar’s uniform.
- He was sometimes a chair-puller.
- His eyes remained blue throughout his life, but the rest of him went all to pieces.
Hi,Quote:
Originally Posted by Payam
1) I think you'll find "diamond studded" is the phrase -i.e. studded (decorated) with diamonds.
2) I need more context to answer this - I've never seen the phrase but would assume it to mean someone who is polite, who pulls out chairs for ladies at dinner parties - it sounds rather derogatory.
3) "went all to pieces" - fell to bits, came apart, generally failed and became decrepit.
Hope this helps
Mike
Thanks for the reply. Actually in sentences No. 1 and 3, your answer in fact is quite in accordance with the impression I had and works well in the context.
Regarding the second sentence, my impression of the phrase was more toward “some body that is mischievous and likes jokes that insults people or things to that sense.”
I provide you the previous sentence and hope that helps finding a better sense to the expression:
He liked bad puns and pranks. He was sometimes a chair-puller.
Hi Payam,
now that you've given me the context for "chair - puller" I can see that you are quite right - pulling the chair away from underneath someone about to sit down is a very childish (and dangerous!) prank.
Mike