Two idoms can't find, please help...

[shinem]

Hello everyone,

I'm translating a book and couldn't find the meaning of two idoms. Please help me to understand the meaning of them. Thank you very much.

1) Everything but wild dogs chasing you over frozen ice floes.

2) Sometime the bread you cast upon the waters washes back with the first wave.

Shinem

[shinem]

Hello everyone,

I'm translating a book and couldn't find the meaning of two idoms. Please help me to understand the meaning of them. Thank you very much.

1) Everything but wild dogs chasing you over frozen ice floes.

2) Sometime the bread you cast upon the waters washes back with the first wave.

Shinem

[Bennevis]

Concerning the 2nd sentence, there is a passage I found on the Internet:

YOU WILL FIND, AS THE BIBLE SAYS, IF YOU KEEP CASTING YOUR BREAD UPON THE WATERS, SOON IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU ON EVERY WAVE. ALL OF A SUDDEN, ONE DAY, YOU WILL LOOK UP AND HERE IT COMES, AGAIN AND AGAIN.

A bit earlier:
WHAT YOU PLANT IS WHAT YOU RECEIVE, WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR BAD.

It seems to me that this might mean 2 things:
1) If you give (help) others, you will get something (a lot) from God. (great concept!)
2) Whatever you do will come back to you.

[shinem]

Thank you very much :D This will help me!

[BobK]

1 is not idiomatic. We'll need more context to give you an idea of what it means.

b

[shinem]

I see. Then I can summary the context till this conversation. It's a dialog between a man and a woman. Man is at the hospital and had a stroke. So having bad times with his illness and memory. Woman is says to him this:

“Wow! Poor bunny, you really have been raked over the broken glass, haven’t you? Everything but wild dogs chasing you over frozen ice floes.”

I can't find the whole meaning actually. First sentence mean they're (the doctors) forcing you I guess. But second is too complicated for me.

If you can enlighten me I'll be so glad!

Thank you :)

[Ouisch]

The first one isn't an idiom, per se, but it is a reference to a scene in the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Escaped slave Eliza is fleeing, with her baby in her arms, from the authorities and their bloodhounds (dogs). When she arrives at the Ohio River she is miraculously able to cross it by stepping on the ice floes that are floating by.

So the speaker is somewhat sarcastically comparing the complaining hospital patient to someone in a truly life-or-death situation.

[shinem]

Thank you very very much! All my problem is solved by your explanation. This is a very nice reference :)

[shinem]

I have another question too. In this sentence:

'One of the young cleaners, who, I gathered, had encountered Anna while mopping my room, shook his head at me, saying: “I hope I’m never that tired.”'

I couldn't find the 'gathered' meaning. What does it refer to? To the one talking, or to cleaner? I'll be so happy if you can answer me.

Thank you :)

[5jj]

'One of the young cleaners, who, I gathered, had encountered Anna while mopping my room, shook his head at me, saying: “I hope I’m never that tired.”'

I couldn't find the 'gathered' meaning. What does it refer to? .

'I gathered' - I realised, came to understand, probably from something I heard.

In future, please start a fresh thread for a question about a different topic. Thank you.