you may know the 80s tv series---Grwoing Pains. in it there is a sentence uttered by Jason who is a psychiatrist.
"i'm a ver busy man. i could spend up to eight hours a day, on my anal retentives alone.
according to a dictionary, anal retentives
indicates personality traits, such as meticulousness, avarice, and obstinacy, originating in habits, attitudes, or values associated with infantile pleasure in retention of feces.
but i'm still puzzled it's real meaning in here.
please help me!
Means that the person is exceedingly reserved, proper, reluctant to be relaxed.
The clue is in his occupation. Your dictionary has defined the adjective phrase 'anally retentive'. As Anglika has said, is a plural noun here. It refers to those of his patients who are anally retentive.
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