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Trim of sails?



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Sounds of the World's Animals | Phrase "mind you"
Message Author
Trim of sails? Thu Jul 13, 2006 14:17 pm  Trim of sails?
 

Dear Teachers,

What I read was:

"Come here, my little mouse."
Bianca knew enough not to come forward. "A mouse doesn't accept invitations from a cat." she said.
"She's got the trim of your sails!" Lucrezia hooted with unprincipled glee.

What does it mean by "got the trim of your sails"?
all potted out
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 17 Feb 2006
Posts: 114

Trimming one's sails Thu Jul 13, 2006 14:48 pm  Trimming one's sails
 

Hi all potted out

I'd understand "She's got the trim of your sails!" to mean "She understands how you think/what you're planning (and therefore knows what to expect)".

Since this isn't an idiom I'd personally use, however, maybe someone else will have a different interpretation. It sounds rather British to me. It may be similar to saying "She's got your number."
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/have+number+on+it

Amy
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Amy
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Yankee
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Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7891
Location: USA

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Idiom: Trimming one's sails Thu Jul 13, 2006 16:10 pm  Idiom: Trimming one's sails
 

.
Not British, I think, APO-- just nautical. Trimming one's sails is getting the sails of a ship set just properly to work the wind efficiently. Getting the trim, as Yankee says, is successfully learning this, i.e. the other person's attitude/personality/purposes.

The image could be carried even further: knowing the trim of the sails implies that one knows where the ship (or adversary) is going, what his plans are.

It is quite a nice metaphor.
.
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Trim of sails? Thu Jul 13, 2006 16:42 pm  Trim of sails?
 

Outstanding, MM! Your descriptive explanation is quite eloquent. Very Happy

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7891
Location: USA

Trim of sails? Thu Jul 13, 2006 18:09 pm  Trim of sails?
 

Mister Micawber wrote:
Not British, I think, APO-- just nautical.

Dear MM.

Could you please explain the meaning? Very Happy

Tom
Tom
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Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 1985

Another question Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:20 am  Another question
 

Thanks for your replies. And, here's another question I forgot to ask: what does it mean by "unprincipled glee"?
all potted out
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 17 Feb 2006
Posts: 114

Another question Fri Jul 14, 2006 15:51 pm  Another question
 

all potted out wrote:
What does it mean by "unprincipled glee"?

Unprincipled glee is joy or gaiety without any moral standards or scruples.
Conchita
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Trim of sails? Sat Jul 29, 2006 0:07 am  Trim of sails?
 

I am sorry to disturb you all again! Sad
Would anyone please answer my question???

Tom
Tom
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Joined: 30 May 2006
Posts: 1985

Trim of sails? Sat Jul 29, 2006 0:27 am  Trim of sails?
 

Hi Tom

I'm kind of interested in APO myself. The only thing I know is the abbreviation for "Army Post Office"...

Amy
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Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7891
Location: USA

Trim of sails? Sat Jul 29, 2006 0:29 am  Trim of sails?
 

Yankee wrote:
Hi Tom

I'm kind of interested in APO myself. The only thing I know is the abbreviation for "Army Post Office"...

Amy

I think Mr Micawber just meant 'All Potted Out'!
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2717
Location: Madrid, Spain

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Sounds of the World's Animals | Phrase "mind you"
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