[Vocabulary] To clang on; short

[constantinusphilo]

I have run across these two sentence in The Silence of the Lambs by Harris:

Some of the things Lecter had said about her were true, and some only clanged on the truth.
Autopsy revealed that Raspail’s heart was pierced and that he was short his thymus and pancreas.

I do not understand 'to clang on'. Is it something like to 'clang against'?
In the second one, I think it must be 'short of' and not just 'short' unless it's dialectal.

 

[emsr2d2]

There is more than one author called "Harris". You must provide the full name of the author.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I have run across these two sentence in The Silence of the Lambs by Harris:

Some of the things Lecter had said about her were true, and some only clanged on the truth.
Autopsy revealed that Raspail’s heart was pierced and that he was short his thymus and pancreas.

I do not understand 'to clang on'. Is it something like to 'clang against'?

Yes. It's figurative. Do you understand it?

In the second one, I think it must be 'short of' and not just 'short' unless it's dialect[STRIKE]al[/STRIKE].

In this context, short means missing, minus. without, lacking. It is not dialect. Harris only uses dialect in his characters' direct speech.

Now tell Ems Harris's first name.

 

[constantinusphilo]

'Dialectal' is a perfectly valid form, see Webster:
in dialect.– dieaelecetal dajə l)kt6 adj Ë the many dialectal forms of
English.
Sorry it didn't copy well but it's there.

 

[constantinusphilo]

I have not seen any example of 'short' without 'of' in this meaning.

 

[GoesStation]

I have not seen any example of 'short' without 'of' in this meaning.

You have now.

 

[5jj]

'Dialectal' is a perfectly valid form, see Webster:

Please tell us which 'Webster' you are referring to.
You still haven't given us the first name of Harris.

the many dialectal forms of English.

'Dialectal' is not a common form. and would seem incorrect to many native speakers. When it is used, it is normally used attributively, as it is in that citation.

 

[Rover_KE]

constantinusphilo, if I can go to the trouble of making sure I get your name right, why have you made two further posts still without citing Harris's first name?

 

[constantinusphilo]

But of course, many things that are perfectly correct in English would seem unnatural to poorly educated denizens. The Harris who wrote The Silence of the Lambs had Thomas as his first name.

 

[5jj]

If lack of familiarity with such things as the predicative use of dialectal is a sign of being poorly educated, then I would guess that 95+% of native speakers are poorly educated.

 

[emsr2d2]

But of course, many things that are perfectly correct in English would seem unnatural to poorly educated denizens. The Harris who wrote The Silence of the Lambs had Thomas as his first name.

It shouldn't take us until post #9 to get the full name of the author. In post #1, you should say, after the quote, "Source: The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris". Always italicise the names of books, films etc.