Today I began reading chapter four of Agatha's The Body In The Library, more than half a year after the last update. The book has 22 chapters, and I'm only one-fifth done so far. But since it has begun, it will not abandon the pit, and even if it is intermittent, it will read the book.
Let's review the contents of the previous and fourth chapters.
In the previous chapter, Superintendent Harper, a police superintendent Harper near the scene of the incident, called to say that there was a missing girl in their hotel, very similar to the description of the deceased, named Ruby Keene Ruby Keene, who was the dancer of the hotel.
Chapter 4 identifies the deceased as Ruby Keene Ruby Keene.
Ruby Keene Ruby Keene had a cousin named Josephine Turner Joseph Fintener, who could also be called Jose Josie. Because Josie accidentally sprained her foot a while ago, she introduced her cousin Ruby Keene to the Majestic Hotel to perform dance in place of her and partner Raymond Raymond.
According to Josie Josie, the last time Ruby Keene was seen that night was after the first dance performance, when Ruby Keene was dancing with Bartlett Bartlett, a young man who lives in a hotel. She was no longer seen, but the person who called the police the next day was Mr. Jefferson, another hotel guest. Is there any connection between these people? Has the killer appeared so far? What happens next to Ms. Joseie Josie who follows Colonel Merchitte to the crime scene?
Before that, let's summarize some of the authentic phrases that appear in chapter 4 and start learning together.
give sb a turn
When Josie confirmed that the body lying in the morgue was her cousin Ruby Keene, she said:
It gives you a turn, doesn't it, seeing anything like that?
Are you surprised to see such a situation?
Here comes the phrase gives you a turn, which means to surprise someone and startle someone. Ruby Keene's death surprised and surprised cousin Josie.
size sth/sb up和get into the swing of things
Josie told Colonel Mercht that he had been a dancer and bridge waitress at the King's Hotel in Dinemouth for three years. This job is good, the pay is high, and it is quite exciting to do. When guests arrive, they greet them – and of course they have to think about them – some like to be alone, and some are lonely and want to find something to do. The task is to put together people with the same interests to play bridge, to have young people dance together, and so on.
"I've been dance and bridge hostess at the Majestic in Danemouth for three years. It's a good job, well paid and pleasant to do. You look after people when they arrive. Size them up, of course - some like to be left alone and others are lonely and want to get into the swing of things. You try and get the right people together for bridge and all that, and get the young people dancing with one another."
Two phrases appear here. The first is size them up, which is size sth/sb up.
First, the word size as a verb has the meaning of "arranged by size", and as a noun it has the meaning of "size; size". So when we want to size sth/sb up, it is actually looking at someone or something; Estimation; Judgment; assess. Miss Josie thinks it's her job to be pleasant and bring together people of the same kind.
The second phrase that appears is get into the swing of things .
Swing means "swing", and getting into the swing of things means throwing yourself into the changes in things. Miss Josie said that she could make it possible for people who came to the hotel to quickly blend into the atmosphere of the scene. In addition, if you describe a person who gets into the swing of things, it means that the person can adapt to the environment, fit in, and start to enter the state.
go down well
Josie asked her cousin Keane to perform the dance in her place, and she described Keane's performance this way:
She went down quite well.
She was very welcome.
Here's a phrase to remember: go down well means popular and not bad. It can also mean that it is going well.
get back up
On the night of the crime, Josie was furious that her cousin Keane didn't show up during performance time, saying:
That's the sort of silly things girls do and get the management's back up, and then they get the sack!
Girls love to do this kind of stupid thing, make the manager angry, and then fire their squid!
Here again a phrase can be remembered: get one's back up means to make someone angry; Anger; Annoy the meaning. This common phrase comes from the image of a cat. When a cat is angry, it tends to arch its back and make a whirring sound in its mouth, showing that it is ready to exert the power of its claws. So getting one's back up means getting someone angry.
dress down和dressing down
Josie said she thought her cousin would come back safely – ready to scold her when she returned!
I thought she'd turn up all right, and I was going to give her a good dressing down when she did!
I think she'll be back safe and sound – I'm ready to scold her when she's back!
Although there is only a dressing down in the text, it has to be taken out along with the phrase "dress down". Although the two phrases are very similar, they have two completely different meanings. The given her in this passage of the article good means to beat Keane badly. The idiomatic term dressing down here means "blame" or "scold." But dress down is a verb phrase, which is usually used to say that the way clothes are dressed is sloppy and casual. The difference between the two must be remembered!
That's all I have to say after reading Chapter 4 this time.
Then I want to say something about "Little Fat Shoot". The original intention of making this number was also to share some useful knowledge and some happy things in daily life, including but not limited to post-skill sharing, language learning and life visits. However, due to some recent events, I don't know if I have the ability to continue to insist on the sharing of the little fat photo in the future, I hope that after adjusting some recent changes, the little fat photo can continue to share in a happy way, because the birth of this number is a good start, and I don't want to break it so easily. (Although there are no fans haha)
Finally, friends who want to see you here, no matter what happens to your life that has changed, you'll soon get into the swing of things. See you next time.
#English ##Reasoning##Agatha##Suspense Fiction##英语学习二三事 #