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Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—On the Ropes:
As he campaigns for governor in 1926, during Chapter 2, Willie gives a speech in Upton, a fictional town "in the western part of the state." The night before the speech, Willie drank a whole bottle of whiskey, his first time drinking in his life, and passed out on Jack's bed. Needless to say, Willie is now quite hungover, and Jack has attempted to cure him by giving him yet more to drink. Jack and Sadie watch with trepidation as Willie, "sweating and swaying and speechless, in the hot sun," attempts to begin his speech:
"He's on the ropes," Sadie said.
"Hell, he's been on 'em all morning," I said, "and lucky to have 'em."
She was still looking at him. It was much the same way she had looked at him the night before when he lay on the bed in my room, out cold, and she stood by the side of the bed. It wasn't pity and it wasn't contempt. It was an ambiguous, speculative look. Then she said, "Maybe he was born on 'em."
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