Timeline for arose with such larks as were abroad at the moment
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
8 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Oct 27, 2020 at 16:02 | comment | added | Mark Morgan Lloyd | @Hellion: if I can muddy the water slightly, pillarboxes (postboxes) in Central London used to have two slots, with one (if I recall correctly) labelled "London" and the other "Abroad". However the intent there was that "Abroad" designated anywhere that wasn't London: the Home Counties, the Midlands, the West Country and in short the provinces in general (not to mention "abroad"). | |
| Oct 27, 2020 at 15:08 | comment | added | Hellion | Colin and @MarkMorganLloyd, thanks for the clarifications; I have learned something new. :-) | |
| Oct 27, 2020 at 15:02 | comment | added | Mark Morgan Lloyd | @Hellion Disagree: "Abroad", generally speaking, means out and about. However in this case there's a humorous twist: there's larks abroad during the Summer months from dawn to dusk, and the writer makes clear that his subject was just as likely to stay in bed reading. So basically, he both went to bed and arose at whatsoever hour he chose, and this was noted by the people of the town. | |
| Oct 27, 2020 at 15:00 | comment | added | Colin Fine | @Hellion: No. You're referring to what is now the primary meaning of abroad, but in contexts like this an older meaning is intended. See meanings 2,3,4 here | |
| Oct 27, 2020 at 14:18 | comment | added | Hellion | I like this answer but I think you're missing or misinterpreting an important piece: "such larks as were abroad at the moment" means "larks that are very far away", e.g. on another continent. If I'm in Los Angeles and am rising with the larks that are in Paris, then it is dawn in Paris, but that makes it something like 2pm in Los Angeles. And there's always some other city's larks to be found if I want to rise at 11 am or 3pm or whenever. | |
| Oct 27, 2020 at 11:03 | comment | added | candied_orange | Once one commits to rise with the lark it can become annoying sleeping in all winter waiting for them to show up again. | |
| Oct 26, 2020 at 22:35 | vote | accept | Ahmed Samir | ||
| Oct 26, 2020 at 22:30 | history | answered | Colin Fine | CC BY-SA 4.0 |