Well, that is the question :-)
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Well, that is the question :-)
I've never heard of it. Where did you find it?
I found it in a book, sir. It goes: 'Do you protest that there aren't any genes for behaviour? You are still wrecked among heathen dreams'. It's from a book by Richard Dawkins, sir :-) A couple of similar contexts can be found on Google.
The meaning is absolutely clear, but I'm worried about the phrase's 'status' (idiom?) and possible connotations.
It's a line from a poem by W. B. Yeats. It's not an idiom.Quote:
Originally Posted by Judge Brybe
William Butler Yeats | "The Wanderings of Oisin: Book I" | poetry archive | plagiarist.com
But you're doing well if the meaning is absolutely clear to you.
Hello Judge Brybe,
Please note that a great number of us here are not male, including the person who first responded to you, so using "sir" as a form of address is not appropriate.
In fact, you don't need to use any for of address at all.
I have never heard or seen that particular phrase before either, so I think you can say it's not a well-known idiom, if it's an idiom at all.
Thank you very much indeed! Well, now that I know it is a Yeats quote, I would not say the meaning of the line is absolutely clear, Yeats tends to be an obscure author at times. Still, at least, I do seem to get Dawkins' meaning alright.
I see, ma'am. :-) I'll try to avoid using them in the future. Although I do enjoy acting like I'm a schoolboy when talking to real English teachers :-)Quote:
you don't need to use any for of address at all
We have figured it out. It is a Yeats quote.Quote:
that particular phrase
And an interesting choice of quote considering his views.