a yellow hat to my Curious George

[constantinusphilo]

I do not understand the phrase in bold:

I heard a rumor that she had taken an interest in an upperclassman at Ivy, a new version of her old lacrosse player, a man in a yellow hat to my Curious George.

The Rule of Four, Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

 

[probus]

Curious George is a picture book for young children and The Man in the Yellow Hat is a character in it. You'll understand the reference if you read the book. I'm having trouble posting a link but I found it by googling Curious George full text.

 

[constantinusphilo]

What is the meaning of the preposition 'to' here?

 

[jutfrank]

What is the meaning of the preposition 'to' here?

I'd call it 'respective equivalence'. The relationship between the upperclassman and me is equivalent to the relationship between The Man in A Yellow Hat and Curious George.

 

[Skrej]

https://curiousgeorgetv.fandom.com/wiki/Man_with_the_Yellow_Hat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George

 

[constantinusphilo]

I am sorry I don't get it. Can you paraphrase, please?

 

[probus]

Have you looked at the book yet? The Man in the Yellow Hat is George's teacher, protector, and caregiver.

 

[constantinusphilo]

Does 'to' here mean 'with respect to'?

 

[tzfujimino]

I think these 'to's below are close in meaning to that used in the OP.

"Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body."
(https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-i...-is-to-the-mind-what-exercise-is-to-the-body/)

"I am to dancing what Roseanne is to singing and Donald Duck to motivational speeches. I am as graceful as a refrigerator falling down a flight of stairs." - Leonard Pitts, "Curse of Rhythm Impairment" Miami Herald, Sep. 28, 2009.
(Source: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/analogy-ex.html)

 

[constantinusphilo]

Just can you paraphrase the sentence quoted, please, otherwise I fail to understand.

 

[tzfujimino]

"A is to B what C is to D" or "A is to B as C is to D" means "the relationship between A and B is equivalent to the relationship between C and D".

I feel as if I'm repeating what jutfrank said in #4.

 

[emsr2d2]

The construction is usually used to demonstrate that someone is as bad at something as someone else is at something else! It can also be used for the opposite effect (ie someone is as good at something as someone else is at something else).

Let's use the positive use first. For example, Joaquin Phoenix is a very good actor. I am a great tennis player. So ... "I am to tennis what Joaquin Phoenix is to acting". This demonstrates that we are both very good at what we do.

The negative use works the same way. For example, my friend Helen can't swim at all and is terrified of water. I'm terrible at knitting. So ... "I am to knitting what Helen is to swimming!" (This is similar to tzfujimino's example about singing and motivational speeches.)

 

[constantinusphilo]

I heard a rumor that she had taken an interest in an upperclassman at Ivy, a new version of her old lacrosse player, a man in a yellow hat to my Curious George.
In other words, her old boyfriend is to her new one as a man in a yellow hat is to my Curious George.
Right?

 

[5jj]

In other words, her old boyfriend is to her new one as the man in a yellow hat is to my Curious George.
Right?

No. Drop the 'my' before 'Curious George'.