grown retriever

[user_gary]

One of Timothy's(tiger cub) favourite amusements was to stalk anyone who would play with him, and so, when I came to live with Grandfather, I became one of the tiger's favourites. With a crafty look in his glittering eyes, and his body crouching, he would creep closer and closer to me, suddenly making a dash for my feet, rolling over on his back and kicking with delight, and pretending to bite my ankles.

He was by this time the size of a full -- grown retriever, and when I took him out for walks on the road would give us a wide berth. When he pulled hard on his chain, I had difficulty in keeping up with him. His favourite plcae in the house was the drawing-room, and he would make himself comfortable on the long sofa reclining there with great dignity, and snarling at anybody who tried to get him off.

Please explain the highlighted ones.

[BobK]

Here's a retriever: http://www.seefido.com/assets/images..._retriever.JPG

They're quite small when they're puppies (http://www.1stopfordogs.com/images/d...pictures1a.jpg ) which is why the text says "full-grown".

get him off - move him (or look if they were about to try) off the sofa.

b

[Casiopea]

A retriever is a breed of dog. Grown is the past participle (adjective) of grow. Grown retreiver; i.e., full-grown dog.

Get him off means, to make Timothy get off the sofa, come down from the sofa.

[Casiopea]

Sorry, BobK. We seemed to have posted around the same time.