vil
Key Member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2007
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Bulgarian
- Home Country
- Bulgaria
- Current Location
- Bulgaria
Dear teachers,
Today I read a medical article where met an vague and certainly overused expression.
In a fake faint, the patient's description is very vague. They say they felt dizzy and fuzzy and thought they were going to 'pass out'. They might also say they felt a tightness in the chest and broke out in a profuse sweat. The alleged blackout may often have gone on for up to an hour. During a genuine faint there is an actual loss of consciousness because the brain is temporarily deprived of blood. The attack is usually very short and is often caused by some emotional upset, albeit a temporary one, or by fear.
I know the following meanings of the idiom “pass out”:
2. Also, pass out cold. Faint, as in
When she heard the news she passed out cold.
Also, out for the count; out like a light. Unconscious; also, asleep.
For example, He crashed into the wall and was out cold, or
Willie punched him too hard, and he was out for the count or
Don't call Jane; she's out like a light by ten every night.
The adjective cold refers to the lack of heat in a dead body and has been used to mean "unconscious". The first variant comes from boxing, where a fighter who is knocked down must get up before the referee counts to ten or be declared defeated; The last variant alludes to turning out a light.
I couldn’t understand the random relation between “pass out” and “pass out cold” to say nothing of “out for the count” and “out like a light”.
Would you be kind enough to elucidate the present misunderstanding?
Thank you in advance for your efforts.
Regards.
V.
Today I read a medical article where met an vague and certainly overused expression.
In a fake faint, the patient's description is very vague. They say they felt dizzy and fuzzy and thought they were going to 'pass out'. They might also say they felt a tightness in the chest and broke out in a profuse sweat. The alleged blackout may often have gone on for up to an hour. During a genuine faint there is an actual loss of consciousness because the brain is temporarily deprived of blood. The attack is usually very short and is often caused by some emotional upset, albeit a temporary one, or by fear.
I know the following meanings of the idiom “pass out”:
- Distribute, as in
2. Also, pass out cold. Faint, as in
When she heard the news she passed out cold.
Also, out for the count; out like a light. Unconscious; also, asleep.
For example, He crashed into the wall and was out cold, or
Willie punched him too hard, and he was out for the count or
Don't call Jane; she's out like a light by ten every night.
The adjective cold refers to the lack of heat in a dead body and has been used to mean "unconscious". The first variant comes from boxing, where a fighter who is knocked down must get up before the referee counts to ten or be declared defeated; The last variant alludes to turning out a light.
I couldn’t understand the random relation between “pass out” and “pass out cold” to say nothing of “out for the count” and “out like a light”.
Would you be kind enough to elucidate the present misunderstanding?
Thank you in advance for your efforts.
Regards.
V.
