What does "burn up the town" mean?
- Thread starter NewHopeR
- Start date
- Views : 7,223
- Status
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2008
- Member Type
- Retired English Teacher
- Native Language
- British English
- Home Country
- England
- Current Location
- Ireland
Drive very fast through/around the town.
NewHopeR
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2009
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- China
- Current Location
- China
Thanks.
Does "James - the Rolls-Royce" mean "James, to prepare my car - the Rolls-Royce"?
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2008
- Member Type
- Retired English Teacher
- Native Language
- British English
- Home Country
- England
- Current Location
- Ireland
Probably, yes.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2006
- Location
- Spencers Wood, near Reading, UK
- Member Type
- Retired English Teacher
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- UK
- Current Location
- UK
:up: But there's no 'to'.
And it's not clear from the context whether 'James' ia real person. There's a sort of joke - not exactly idiomatic, but certainly informal - that someone addresses a command to an unknown servant, with the words 'Home, James, and don't spare the horses - that is, drive quickly (horses are seldom if ever involved). Maybe it's a quotation from a Victorian melodrama - but it's quite common in Br Eng..
b
And it's not clear from the context whether 'James' ia real person. There's a sort of joke - not exactly idiomatic, but certainly informal - that someone addresses a command to an unknown servant, with the words 'Home, James, and don't spare the horses - that is, drive quickly (horses are seldom if ever involved). Maybe it's a quotation from a Victorian melodrama - but it's quite common in Br Eng..
b
- Status
Similar threads
