fetch the sherbet girl

[beeja]

Hello,

The scene is back to 1480 and it says:

The boy beside me rises unbidden and goes to fetch the sherbet girl. She is new here, in the house of Netanel ha-Levi and I wonder how he came by her.

1) what does "fetch the sherbet girl" here mean? go to see or to court the girl who serves or sells sherbet??

2) "how he came by her" = "how he met her"?

Thank you, beeja

[I'm With Stupid]

Hello,

The scene is back to 1480 and it says:

The boy beside me rises unbidden and goes to fetch the sherbet girl. She is new here, in the house of Netanel ha-Levi and I wonder how he came by her.

1) what does "fetch the sherbet girl" here mean? go to see or to court the girl who serves or sells sherbet??

I think so. Either that or it means something I've never heard of.

2) "how he came by her" = "how he met her"?

Correct.

Not a teacher.

[BobK]

I think so. Either that or it means something I've never heard of.


Correct.

Not a teacher.

... mostly. The phrasal verb 'came by' suggests she had come into his possession, so he wouldn't be going to court her (although he might want to flirt with her). If he had just met/found her, the verb would have been 'came across' or something like that. The verb 'fetch' is strange; you'd think, if she was a possession, he'd 'send for' her. Maybe in 15th century Palestine (?) the master/slave relationship was different...

b

[Anglika]

Hello,

The scene is back to 1480 and it says:

The boy beside me rises unbidden and goes to fetch the sherbet girl. She is new here, in the house of Netanel ha-Levi and I wonder how he came by her.

1) what does "fetch the sherbet girl" here mean? go to see or to court the girl who serves or sells sherbet?? She is the person who serves sherbet to guests in the house, and he is going to fetch her.

.

[curmudgeon]

If you put a comma in...Fetch the sherbert, girl. It means the man of the house would like another drink

[BobK]

If you put a comma in...Fetch the sherbert, girl. It means the man of the house would like another drink

I've heard the expression 'have a few sherbets' [= a few {alcohlic} drinks] in the South of England, but I didn't realize it had reached the Boreal Wastes.

b

[curmudgeon]

it came to me when i first read the heading, before i saw the content of the question haha