APAD: Set my teeth on…&An Idiom…

Set my teeth on edge: Meaning Then

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What was Big Willy Shakes going for?

Literally, the phrase "set my teeth nothing on edge" means to feel a tingling in your teeth. But we're guessing you knew that already. Figuratively, Hotspur is saying that nothing makes him more uncomfortable than bad poetry. 

Since the men have just been talking about who can speak English (and who can only speak Welsh), Hotspur means that anyone who doesn't know English properly is worse off than a kitten or an ungreased wheel on an axle. 

Basically, it grates him when people misuse the English language in poetry. He thinks the English and their special language are pretty high and mighty, and he wants everyone to know it. (We're not so on board with that one, by the way.) 

It turns out Shakespeare wasn't the first to jot down this phrase. Wycliff's Bible (published way back in 1382) says "teeth on edge" too. Shakespeare took it and ran with it, adding a "nothing" in the middle to make sure we really got the point.

 

Idiom:

Having an Ace up the sleeve

Meaning: Have an advantage that is currently being withheld for future purposes. 
Example: Brian kept quiet at the board meeting, who knew he had an Ace hidden up his sleeve the whole time.

所有跟帖： 

• Nice alternative to irritate and grate. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/01/2023 postreply 19:32:59

• 查了一下，莎士比亚的很多proverb我都不知道，开始附庸风雅：） -妖妖灵- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/01/2023 postreply 21:28:05

• 好比我们吃酸东西倒牙，也形容某些文字酸得令人倒牙 -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/01/2023 postreply 20:14:54

• 本来我记住还有难度，你这么一说，我就明白了：） -妖妖灵- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/01/2023 postreply 21:28:46

• Hotspur -Marauders- ♀ (194 bytes) () 08/02/2023 postreply 06:59:41

• 这次记住Hotspur了：） -妖妖灵- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/02/2023 postreply 18:11:08