Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
to pull
English answer:
pull (an oar or sculls) in rowing; propel (a boat) by rowing, row; transport or convey in a boat by rowing.
Added to glossary by
Tony M
Jul 14, 2009 08:45
14 yrs ago
English term
and how he had pulled down to Caversham since lunch, …
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
Dear Colleagues, it's from "The Forsyte Saga":
He was telling them now how he had "pipped the pro—a charmin' fellow, playin' a very good game," at the last hole this morning; and how he had pulled down to Caversham since lunch, and trying to incite Prosper Profond to play him a set of tennis after tea—do him good—"keep him fit.
Thank you in advance!
He was telling them now how he had "pipped the pro—a charmin' fellow, playin' a very good game," at the last hole this morning; and how he had pulled down to Caversham since lunch, and trying to incite Prosper Profond to play him a set of tennis after tea—do him good—"keep him fit.
Thank you in advance!
Change log
Aug 2, 2009 21:24: Tony M Created KOG entry
Responses
+4
16 mins
English term (edited):
he had pulled down to Caversham
Selected
he had rowed down the R. Thames to the village of Caversham
This chap sounds like a sporting type, so it seems extremely likely that this is the rather uncommon meaning of the verb 'to pull', with the sense of 'to row (a boat)'
In those days, rowing down the Thames would undoubtedly have been a pleasant, not to say eminently practical way, of reaching Caversham — which at that time was quite probably no more than a village on the banks of the Thames.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2009-07-14 14:21:38 GMT)
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Quite apart from the logic of the physical exertion that Jim has highlighted for us, the verb 'to pull' has an established use with the sense 'to row', whereas I don't believe it is commonly used in the more general sense of 'to go / travel' etc., and I see no reason for the author to have used it in a quirky or figurative way with an oblique meaning here.
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Note added at 7 hrs (2009-07-14 16:40:22 GMT)
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Just out of interest, here's the relevant definition from NS OED:
1 v.t. e Pull (an oar or sculls) in rowing; propel (a boat) by rowing, row; transport or convey in a boat by rowing. E19.
In those days, rowing down the Thames would undoubtedly have been a pleasant, not to say eminently practical way, of reaching Caversham — which at that time was quite probably no more than a village on the banks of the Thames.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2009-07-14 14:21:38 GMT)
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Quite apart from the logic of the physical exertion that Jim has highlighted for us, the verb 'to pull' has an established use with the sense 'to row', whereas I don't believe it is commonly used in the more general sense of 'to go / travel' etc., and I see no reason for the author to have used it in a quirky or figurative way with an oblique meaning here.
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Note added at 7 hrs (2009-07-14 16:40:22 GMT)
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Just out of interest, here's the relevant definition from NS OED:
1 v.t. e Pull (an oar or sculls) in rowing; propel (a boat) by rowing, row; transport or convey in a boat by rowing. E19.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Tony! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
14 mins
travelled
He'd beaten the golf pro in the morning and travelled to Caversham after lunch to persuade Prosper to play tennis.
The journey could have been either by road or river as Caversham is on the Thames in Reading.
The journey could have been either by road or river as Caversham is on the Thames in Reading.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, kmtext! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Mark Nathan
: I have no idea if it applies here, but "pulled" can refer to rowing (pulling the oars).
1 min
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I agree with you on that, but I thought I'd leave it fairly general.
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| neutral |
Tony M
: I think the specific use of the verb 'to pull' does clearly indicate that he rowed; what an energetic chappy he is!
3 mins
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As above. I'm less energetic and it's chucking it down, so I'll just drive there later!
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| neutral |
Jim Tucker (X)
: Not here -- context requires a form of physical exertion; speaker is bragging of his prowess. "Since lunch" - and he did it fast.
5 hrs
|
-1
14 hrs
Alexandra Taggart
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Russian Federation
proficient translation
Native in: English 
, Russian
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, English
Related KudoZ points
:
14
he pulled his golf trolly after him
/
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Note added at 15 hrs (2009-07-14 23:46:27 GMT)
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...all the way down to Caversham. For the sake of exercising.
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Note added at 15 hrs (2009-07-14 23:46:27 GMT)
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...all the way down to Caversham. For the sake of exercising.
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Tony M
: There is no mention of a golf trolley [note it is usually called a caddie in EN] in the source text; your c/l of 5 seems absurdly high, with no refs. of any kind to support your suggestion
18 days
|
Reference comments
9 hrs
Reference:
Referencing the passage in the book helps makes the answer clear.
In the book, there are several paragraphs just before this one in question, in which Imogen's opinion of Jack, as set forth by the narrator, describes Jacks extreme 'fitness' - it's a trademark of Jack's persona; he's a fitness nut, both admired and envied. Rowing is one of his many sports. And yes, there was some satire in the way Jack packed in so many rigorous activities in a short span of time.
You can read the passage in the URL.
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Note added at 9 hrs (2009-07-14 18:26:55 GMT)
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Oh, sorry! I placed the URL in the wrong place. . . Doing this from my phone is almosy silly.
Http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Forsyte-Saga-Complete17.html
You can read the passage in the URL.
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Note added at 9 hrs (2009-07-14 18:26:55 GMT)
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Oh, sorry! I placed the URL in the wrong place. . . Doing this from my phone is almosy silly.
Http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Forsyte-Saga-Complete17.html
Example sentence:
http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Forsyte-Saga-Complete17.html
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Demi! You're a great help! :) |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
Tony M
: Thanks, Demi!
4 hrs
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Thank you, Tony!
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| agree |
Alexandra Taggart
5 hrs
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Thank you, Alexandra!
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