Settling a purpose

[vatroslav]

What does "settle a purpose" mean? Example sentence: "Patrick had no more setlled a purpose in going on the net than he did in opening the timetable file". What does this sentence mean?

 

[Tarheel]

I have never run across that phrase before. How about if you google it for me and find some samples of its use?

 

[vatroslav]

I've googled it prior to posting it here, but to no avail. No one has heard of anything similar to this before. The sentence I've cited has been taken verbatim from a book I was reading. It doesn't sound natural to me, but I wanted to double check.

 

[bhaisahab]

What is the title of the book in which you found it?

 

[vatroslav]

Night Windows-Jonathan Swift. It's your average mystery paperback, nothing to get excited about.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/jul/24/features.review1

 

[tzfujimino]

Humm.
It says 'Jonathan Smith'.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The writer might have meant it in the sense of "no more of a settled purpose than" or "no settled purpose other than."

That would mean he was using settled in the sense of finalized, firm, or confirmed.

 

[vatroslav]

Indeed. I've unintentionally typed in the last name of his more famous colleague. Apologies...

 

[tzfujimino]

... and I've found this: http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=...o more settled a purpose in going on"&f=false

 

[Tdol]

I think it means that the person went on the net without having decided why.

 

[Tarheel]

I think it means that the person went on the net without having decided why.

Did he do it in his sleep?

;-)

 

[Tdol]

Someone setting up a business site without a clear purpose,like those who had sites because everyone was getting one?