Alice and the telescope

Status
Not open for further replies.

Ducklet Cat

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Arabic
Home Country
Kuwait
Current Location
Kuwait
I read in "Alice in Wonderland":

"What a curious feeling!' said Alice; 'I must be shutting up like a telescope."
"Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was"

What does she means about a telescoping opening and shutting up? I know that a telescope is used to viewing far objects.

Thanks :)
 

Raymott

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
I read in "Alice in Wonderland":

"What a curious feeling!' said Alice; 'I must be shutting up like a telescope."
"Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was"

What does she means about a telescoping opening and shutting up? I know that a telescope is used to viewing far objects.

Thanks :)
Way back in the olden days, before they invented knobs, you focussed a telescope by making it longer and shorter by extending or shortening the concentric tubes.
Hence the term "telescopic" to describe other similar mechanisms, like the forks of a motorcycle suspension.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescoping_(mechanics)

Here's a telescopic ladder:
YouTube - Telescopic Ladder Demonstration by TradePlumbing
Here's a telescopic fishing rod:
YouTube - Fishing How To - Telescopic Pole Fishing Trip
 

BobK

Moderator
Staff member
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: Remember, DC, it's fantasy - Alice has fallen asleep in front of the fire (or somewhere like that - I forget the details). So she's actually (in her dream) changing shape.

b
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
"Before they invented knobs"! Thanks for that, it will have me giggling all day!!! :-D
 

Ducklet Cat

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Arabic
Home Country
Kuwait
Current Location
Kuwait
That's interesting, thanks Raymott for the videos. :)
Thanks Bobk & emsr2d2.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top