walk the walk with sb.

Status
Not open for further replies.

coolfool

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
A sentence in Playboy Interview: Samuel L. Jackson, page 64, Playboy October 2013, reads:


They walked the walk with Dr. King.


Does it mean They, together with Dr. King, walked the walk. or They did what Dr. King expected.?


Thanks a lot.
 

JMurray

Key Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
New Zealand
Current Location
Australia
not a teacher

I'm assuming you understand the phrase "walk the walk" and how it relates to "talk the talk". For example: "When it comes to civil rights, a lot of people just talk the talk but don't walk the walk."
In your quote it means that they not only talked about civil rights and what should be done, they also went out and tried to do something about it, as Dr King did. In this case it could also refer to literally walking with him on the famous protest marches.
So yes, "They, together with Dr King, walked the walk."
 

coolfool

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
Grateful for your reply.
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Your appreciation is welcome, coolfool, but there is no need to write a new post to express your gratitude. Simply click the Like button on any posts you find helpful. It means that we don't have to open the thread again to read your new post and then find that it doesn't include any new information or an additional question.​


 

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
I'm not sure 'walked the walk' has that figurative meaning here. In the context, it seems to me that it might mean 'They participated with Dr King on the The Great March on Washington (sometimes, I think, called 'The Freedom Walk' or just 'The Walk'. I don't think I've ever met 'walk the walf' (in the figurative sense) in such close collocation with 'with'.

b
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Couldn't it carry both meanings- it was a literal walk, but it achieved a lot.
 

MikeNewYork

VIP Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Couldn't it carry both meanings- it was a literal walk, but it achieved a lot.

Yes, and I think both meanings were intended. If the literal participation in the march was the only meaning intended, the sentence would have more likely been "They walked with Dr. King."
 

coolfool

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
I'm not sure 'walked the walk' has that figurative meaning here. In the context, it seems to me that it might mean 'They participated with Dr King on the The Great March on Washington (sometimes, I think, called 'The Freedom Walk' or just 'The Walk'. I don't think I've ever met 'walk the walf' (in the figurative sense) in such close collocation with 'with'.

b

1. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia on Clinton and Congress; Legislative Agenda, CBS Special, 1993 (19930120): … You were early on with President Clinton, early supporter of him, helped make it happen. But now he’s got to walk the talk. Is Congress ready to help him, or there have been some sounds that even Democrats in Congress aren’t quite ready to – to fall in behind him and he’s going to have trouble. What do you think? Rep-LEWIS: No. We’re ready. We are ready and willing to help. We just concluded a luncheon with President Clinton, and we’re ready to walk the walk with him and talk the talk with him.

2. Chicago Woman with AIDS Fights for a Home for Her Child, NPR ATC, 1993(19931110): His best friend’s mom got sick when he was five or six and that’s really I think when death hit him. Because she was very, very close to me. It was hard for a little boy to see, but I felt he needed to walk the walk with me so he would be stronger and more prepared when the time came for his father and myself. ...
 
Last edited:

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
:oops: I didn't follow the link before posting. In 1 the meaning is clearly metaphorical and idomatic. In 2 it seems to me that the mother is referring to the March on Washington. I don't really see how a child could 'walk the walk' with his mother in that idiomatic sense; she wanted his experience on the march to strengthen his character for when she died (as, in 1993, she might reasonably have expected [AIDS treatment has come a long way in 20 years {in the West, at least :-(}, but that's not to the point - it's only relevant when it comes to understanding what the words meant for the woman at the time]).

b
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top