Hi, All!

In "Captain Blood" I read:
------
...
"Put that rubbish under hatches until I call for it again," he roared, and shut the door.
Composing himself, he turned to the girl again with a deprecatory smile. But no smile answered him from her set face. She had seen her beloved hero's nature in curl-papers, as it were, and she found the spectacle disgusting and terrifying.
------

So I read and try understand it:

She had seen her beloved hero's nature in curl-papers,
(what does the author mean?)

as it were,
(what is "it"?) ;)

and she found the spectacle disgusting and terrifying.

Bye, All!
Alexander Koryagin

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* Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)

Hi, Alexander -- on Mar 05 2024 at 14:25, you wrote:

She had seen her beloved hero's nature in curl-papers,
(what does the author mean?)

"curl-papers" is an old term for what we (in North America) would now call "curlers" -- those (plastic) things used to wrap wet hair in to cause it to be curly when it dries. It's considered inappropriate to be seen in public wearing curlers, although some ladies will do it (covered with a scarf) for a quick run to the store. So the author is implying that one's true nature shows in one's behaviour in private.

as it were,
(what is "it"?) ;)

This is an expression equivalent to "so to speak".


Cheers... Dallas

--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: The BandMaster, Vancouver, CANADA (1:153/7715)

Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

She had seen her beloved hero's nature in curl-papers,
(what does the author mean?)

A curl-paper is a scrap of paper on which a lock of hair is rolled, typically at bedtime, to make the hair curl. Rags were also used for the same purpose before metal & plastic hair rollers became available. In the 1950's a lot of married women used hair rollers while their husbands were at work... in which case they covered them with babushkas (another word we borrowed from you guys! In English the word refers to a type of head scarf worn by older ladies from Russia.) IMHO the author is referring to the way some people behave when they're hoping to make a much better impression on other people later on. :-Q

as it were,

(what is "it"?) ;)

The expression "as it were" is a signal that the author is making a comparison & that his or her words aren't to be taken literally.

I guess this is an idiom, as in "it's raining".... :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)