1

She had another bottle of Heineken to pluck up the courage to go to the loo, by which time she was bursting.

I am not sure what the relative clause in the above sentence exactly means and which word modifies. Does it say that she was bursting during the time spent in the toilet or that she was bursting during her way to the loo.

P. S. Does the word "burst" in the conext mean the explosion of laugh (the phrase "burst out laughing")?

2
  • 3
    bursting in this context means that she was in danger of pissing before reaching the toilet.
    – JavaLatte
    Jul 6, 2016 at 10:55
  • Someone thought their bladder might burst if they didn't go.
    – user3169
    Jul 6, 2016 at 20:08

1 Answer 1

2

By which time could refer to

  1. the time by which she had finished the bottle of Heineken
  2. the time by which she had plucked up the courage to go to the loo.

Here is a definition of bursting

This sentence could be rewritten as

She had another bottle of Heineken to pluck up the courage to go to the loo, and by the time she had sufficient courage she was scarcely able to avoid involuntary urination.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .