get farther back on the left side & get round the angle of the jaw

[tahasozgen]

Hi There;
There is a paragraph that I cannot understand on page 68 of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Mr Sherlock Holmes investigates a situation with his collegue, and "we" refers to them in this context. I will mention "Holmes' team" in my analysis.

My dear fellow, I know you well. I know the military neatness which characterizes you. You shave every morning, and in this season you shave by the sunlight; but since your shaving is less and less complete as we get farther back on the left side, until it becomes positively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw, it is surely very clear that that side is less well illuminated than the other.

My Analysis of the Text

farther: past participle of further
further back:

Further is used in expressions such as 'further back' and 'further ahead' to refer to a point in time that is earlier or later than the time you are talking about. (collins)
slovenly: (especially of a person or their appearance) untidy and dirty. (lexico)

get round sth : to succeed in avoiding or solving a problem (cambridge)

jaw: Each of the upper and lower bony structures in vertebrates forming the framework of the mouth and containing the teeth.

I cannot understand the phrase "further back" in this context. Do Holmes' team approaches the man from the left side closer and closer every day? In addition, what is the "get round the angle of the jaw" in this context?

Thanks in advance.

 

[5jj]

I'm afraid your analysis is completely wrong.

Farther is the comparative form of far, and means here, as it usually does, 'to a greater distance'. Here, the distance is from the chin moving back towards the back of the neck. The angle of the jaw is where the jawbone moves up from the horizontal to the vertical.

Does that help?

 

[GoesStation]

get round sth : to succeed in avoiding or solving a problem (cambridge)

The phrase isn't an idiom in the quotation. It just means "when we look past the place where your jaw forms a sharp angle".

 

[tahasozgen]

Yes, your post is helpful sir. However, I wonder one thing:

but since your shaving is less and less complete as we get farther back on the left side

My anaysis:
"we" refers to Mr Holmes and his collegue.
"we get farther back on the left side". Mr Holmes and his collegue increased the distance on the left side with the man who shaves .
Is the upper sentence right?

 

[5jj]

Not really.
Holmes and his colleague are not moving at all. They are simply stating what happens if they study the other person's face. 'We' start by considering your chin and then move the focus of our attention back to, and beyond, the angle of your jaw.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, your post is helpful. [STRIKE]sir.[/STRIKE]

Please don't refer to users here as "sir". Not only is it overly formal but it also suggests you assume the person is male. That's not necessarily the case.

 

[5jj]

Please don't refer to users here as "sir". Not only is it overly formal

I agree

but it also suggests you assume the person is male. That's not necessarily the case.

To be fair to tahasozgen, my photo does suggest that I am probably male (though that does not mean I wish to be addressed as 'sir'. We are all members together here.)