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This is a passage from a novel:

"It's those C-sections," Georgie's mom would say. As if Georgie had chosen to have two C-sections, as if she'd order them off the menu out of sheer laziness "I had you girls the natural way, and my body bounced right back."

What does it mean when she said her body bounced right back? Does it mean she become slim again right away after giving birth?

2 Answers 2

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Something bouncing right back means something returning to normal very quickly.

It is often used to refer to health returning to normal.

In the quote you gave, my body bounced right back means the mother's body returned to normal soon after giving birth.

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To bounce back is used idiomatically to mean to return to a good, successful or healthy state after a problem. In this case it means to return to a good state of health. Depending on the context this could also involve being slim and good looking.

The preposition back nearly always indicates returning to a previous state or previous location. This can help you guess the meaning of [verb] plus [back] combinations.

The word right is a specialised word (most grammars think it is an adverb). It is often used to modify prepositions. It can have several meanings. It can mean immediately, completely, directly or exactly. This adverb cannot be used to modify adjectives or adverbs in standard English.

In the Original Poster's example the word right in the phrase bounced right back means that her body recovered quickly and without any problems. It also indicates a sense of completeness indicating that her body was just as healthy as it was before she had the children.

Another specialised adverb for modifying prepositions is the adverb straight. It has a similar meaning to right:

  • It went straight past me.
  • It went right past me.

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