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What the sense of the word 'flay' has been applied in “flay him to within an inch of his lifeâ€
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... He(Uncle Vernon) shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. ...
I think the "flay him to within an inch of his life" is a figurative speech. But I'm not sure about what sense of 'flay' has been used from the following dictionary-suggesting definitions:
When someone flays an animal or person, they remove their skin, usually when they are dead.
If you flay someone, you criticize them severely for their beliefs, policies, or actions.
What does this phrase convey exactly?
As a side question, isn't "shoo someone" impolite, which I suppose that shouldn't be done by Uncle Vernon to the Masons because they were his guests and especially he wanted to make a deal with Mr. Mason?
-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.
word-usage phrase-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
dan
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up vote
1
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... He(Uncle Vernon) shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. ...
I think the "flay him to within an inch of his life" is a figurative speech. But I'm not sure about what sense of 'flay' has been used from the following dictionary-suggesting definitions:
When someone flays an animal or person, they remove their skin, usually when they are dead.
If you flay someone, you criticize them severely for their beliefs, policies, or actions.
What does this phrase convey exactly?
As a side question, isn't "shoo someone" impolite, which I suppose that shouldn't be done by Uncle Vernon to the Masons because they were his guests and especially he wanted to make a deal with Mr. Mason?
-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.
word-usage phrase-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
up vote
1
down vote
favorite
... He(Uncle Vernon) shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. ...
I think the "flay him to within an inch of his life" is a figurative speech. But I'm not sure about what sense of 'flay' has been used from the following dictionary-suggesting definitions:
When someone flays an animal or person, they remove their skin, usually when they are dead.
If you flay someone, you criticize them severely for their beliefs, policies, or actions.
What does this phrase convey exactly?
As a side question, isn't "shoo someone" impolite, which I suppose that shouldn't be done by Uncle Vernon to the Masons because they were his guests and especially he wanted to make a deal with Mr. Mason?
-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.
word-usage phrase-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
... He(Uncle Vernon) shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. ...
I think the "flay him to within an inch of his life" is a figurative speech. But I'm not sure about what sense of 'flay' has been used from the following dictionary-suggesting definitions:
When someone flays an animal or person, they remove their skin, usually when they are dead.
If you flay someone, you criticize them severely for their beliefs, policies, or actions.
What does this phrase convey exactly?
As a side question, isn't "shoo someone" impolite, which I suppose that shouldn't be done by Uncle Vernon to the Masons because they were his guests and especially he wanted to make a deal with Mr. Mason?
-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.
word-usage phrase-meaning
word-usage phrase-meaning
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
edited 2 hours ago
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
asked 3 hours ago
dan
2,50721544
2,50721544
add a comment |Â
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1 Answer
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You're missing another meaning of flay:
1.2 Whip or beat (someone) so harshly as to remove their skin.
‘he flayed them viciously with a branch’
(ODO)
He was going to beat Harry "to within an inch of his life". It's an exaggeration. He was threatening to severely beat or whip Harry.
Yes, as I understand the word shoo, it is impolite. He might have been annoyed, or the writer wanted to convey that Vernon was annoyed (or some similar feeling).
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
You're missing another meaning of flay:
1.2 Whip or beat (someone) so harshly as to remove their skin.
‘he flayed them viciously with a branch’
(ODO)
He was going to beat Harry "to within an inch of his life". It's an exaggeration. He was threatening to severely beat or whip Harry.
Yes, as I understand the word shoo, it is impolite. He might have been annoyed, or the writer wanted to convey that Vernon was annoyed (or some similar feeling).
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
You're missing another meaning of flay:
1.2 Whip or beat (someone) so harshly as to remove their skin.
‘he flayed them viciously with a branch’
(ODO)
He was going to beat Harry "to within an inch of his life". It's an exaggeration. He was threatening to severely beat or whip Harry.
Yes, as I understand the word shoo, it is impolite. He might have been annoyed, or the writer wanted to convey that Vernon was annoyed (or some similar feeling).
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
You're missing another meaning of flay:
1.2 Whip or beat (someone) so harshly as to remove their skin.
‘he flayed them viciously with a branch’
(ODO)
He was going to beat Harry "to within an inch of his life". It's an exaggeration. He was threatening to severely beat or whip Harry.
Yes, as I understand the word shoo, it is impolite. He might have been annoyed, or the writer wanted to convey that Vernon was annoyed (or some similar feeling).
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
You're missing another meaning of flay:
1.2 Whip or beat (someone) so harshly as to remove their skin.
‘he flayed them viciously with a branch’
(ODO)
He was going to beat Harry "to within an inch of his life". It's an exaggeration. He was threatening to severely beat or whip Harry.
Yes, as I understand the word shoo, it is impolite. He might have been annoyed, or the writer wanted to convey that Vernon was annoyed (or some similar feeling).
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
answered 3 hours ago
Em.♦
35.7k10101121
35.7k10101121
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
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