hot match

[xuguang_he]

Hi, everyone

May I ask about what is the meaning of "hot match" in the following sentence?

"Oleg had gone through a hard adjustment to the strange ways of a new country, but there was no melancholy in him, only gaiety and a wit that often had the touch of a hot match."

It is from the autobiography named "Self-Portrait" written by Gene Tierney, she used this line to describe her husband Oleg Cassini.

Thank you for taking a look

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

I suspect that his wit could be rather pointed and possibly a little sarcastic or critical.
We might say that he has a cutting wit.
But it's difficult to be sure of the intended meaning without more context.

 

[xuguang_he]

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

Thank you for the context, xuguang_he.
His telegram to Louella Parsons supports my sense of what was intended.

 

[xuguang_he]

Thank you for giving me such precise answer.

I have another question if it isn't too bother for you, on this page, she wrote "he was suave and his polished attentions were battering to a woman." I don't get the meaning of "polished attentions battering to a woman." There is no mention of any woman and what's the meaning of "battering to" in this line?

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

Here, "polished attentions" refers to his refined and sophisticated manner towards women, especially when he was seeking to charm them.
By "to a woman", it means any woman towards whom he was directing his attentions.
I think "battering" suggests that women were worn down, in a sense, by this attention and the implication is that many eventually succumbed to it.

 

[xuguang_he]

So, it meant Oleg Cassini was a very tactful man when deal with women and affairs, and women were easily fell for him? Now I get it.

Thank you for giving me such detailed analysis of this sentence, you are truly a wonderful teacher

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't think the kind of attention that "batters" a woman could be described as tactful. And JMurray said that eventually women were "worn down" by it and "succumbed". That's not the same as "falling for him".

 

[TheParser]

I think "battering" suggests that women were worn down, in a sense, by this attention and the implication is that many eventually succumbed to it.

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


If Ms. Tierney did, indeed, use the word "battering," then she should be congratulated on using that word in such a novel manner.

I googled and was unable to find any other author who has ever done so.

The usual collocation, of course, would be "flattering to a woman."

(I have no proof that someone along the line is responsible for a typo.)

The moral (lesson) of this matter for learners, I believe, is this:

When writing, do not use strange interpretations of words. Readers will be forced to stop and ask themselves: "What does the author mean by that?" In my humble opinion, that is the mark of an unsuccessful writer. (Ms. Tierney, of course, was a very successful actor [actress].)



James

 

[Tarheel]

The word "battering" was rather startling in that context, and I think Miss Tierney should have had a better editor.

 

[xuguang_he]

Hi, everyone, there is one thing I couldn't figure out in this page. Gene's mother was objected to the marriage of her with Oleg Cassini, she looked down on Oleg, and said, "I can't see him for dust." I think she was belittled him and described him as dust, but after looking up on the net, I found the explantion of "see sb for dust", it seems strange fitting in this context. I don't know which explantion is right.

 

[Tarheel]

View attachment 2043

Hi, everyone, there is one thing I couldn't figure out in this page. Gene's mother was objected to the marriage of her with Oleg Cassini, she looked down on Oleg, and said, "I can't see him for dust." I think she was belittled him and described him as dust, but after looking up on the net, I found the explantion of "see sb for dust", it seems strange fitting in this context. I don't know which explantion is right.

Say:

Gene's mother objected to her marrying Oleg Cassini.
​

(I guess she didn't know he would become rich and famous. ;-))

"I can't see him for dust" was, perhaps, an expression in common usage at the time. Not anymore. (Perhaps it meant that if she thought he was coming she would be leaving.)

 

[Tarheel]

Gene's mother did not approve of their relationship. That's the kind of thing you have to keep in mind.

 

[Rover_KE]

Thank you for taking a look​. :[STRIKE])[/STRIKE]

Thank you for giving me such detailed analysis of this sentence; you are truly a wonderful teacher. [STRIKE][/STRIKE]

Please stop using home-made emoticons to replace punctuation marks. If you want to insert a smiley, click on the :-D icon.

 

[xuguang_he]

Hi, everyone,

Sorry to bother again.

I wonder what does "study for the law" on the bottom of this page mean? Is law refers to a degree or just law course?

 

[xuguang_he]

Another question.
Gene had a allergy condition, but she didn't know then that it was a sign of mental illness. When she later came to the sanitarium, she noticed that every patient there had some kind of allergy before. She said, "... have an allergy of some kind, an allergy to life." Was she used "an allergy to life" to indicate that the condition comes from nowhere? I thought this line was kind of strange. Only later she knew the exact link between mind and body. Why she said this? What did she try to indicate after all?
View attachment 2044

 

[Tarheel]

People don't always mean what they say literally. A good example of that would be: "I have an allergy to life."

"study for the law"

 

[xuguang_he]

Thank you. But is there any other expression that could bring out the meaning Gene indicates by saying "an allergy to life"?

Still, after looking up yahoo search engine, there were endless ads, but nothing seems to explain the exact meaning of "study for the law." I could only regard "the law" as "the law degree" anyhow.

 

[Tarheel]

Do you want me to figure out what she meant and explain it to you? Also, "study for the law" is not a complicated concept. It's what people do when they want to become lawyers.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6642860_study-law.html