Noise was used with the sense of rumours

[Lost_Soul]

English Idioms and Expressions, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #4 "How Mary fell in love", question 4

As soon as she had done that, all hell was let loose.

(a) there was loud hum
(b) there was sound of thunder
(c) there was a huge noise
(d) there was an enormous flame

English Idioms and Expressions, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #4 "How Mary fell in love", answer 4

As soon as she had done that, there was a huge noise.

Correct answer: (c) there was a huge noise

Your answer was: ?
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"noise" was used with the sense of "rumours" here, wasn't it ???

[Alan]

Hi,

No, the huge noise refers to the noise made by the sound of the CD.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Haihao]

'All hell let loose' originally means 'a mess', 'chaos' or something like that. Am I right? So, can I understand that 'a huge noise' is correct because of the context?

haihao

[Yankee]

Hi Haihao

This particular test is in the form of a short story. So, the sentence prior to this test question is part of the context. And the sentence before this one was:
"She put her favourite CD on and turned it up full blast."

ESL Test How Mary fell in love, Question 4
http://www.english-test.net/esl/learn/english/grammar/ae004/esl-test.php#four

If you turn up a stereo "full blast" that means you have made the sound as loud as possible. And on most stereos that's so unbelievably loud that it seems all hell has broken loose. ;)

Amy
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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Haihao]

Hi Amy,

Thank you all the time. Your explanation always helps me lift those confusions off my chest thoroughly.
By the way, I'd like to ask you another question if I may.
How can I understand the idiom 'It is a long lane that has no turning' by its literal meaning and make it into the meaning somewhere about 'there will be a chance'?

haihao

[Yankee]

Hi Haihao

This is neither an idiom nor a well-known saying -- at least not in the US. I had to research it on Google. It appears to be a quote from something written by an English satirist named John Wolcot (pen name: Peter Pindar):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wolcot

Here is the full quote:

“Hope peeps from a cloud on our squad,
Whose beams have been long in deep mourning;
’Tis a lane, let me tell you, my lad,
Very long that has never a turning.”

- Peter Pindar: Great Cry and Little Wool, epist. 1.

And the meaning: Every calamity has an ending.
Bartleby

I think that you should simply imagine a road. All roads have turns along the way. It would be a very long road indeed that has no place to turn at all. In other words, there will always be a chance to turn somewhere on every road.

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Foah]

[Yankee]

Hi Michael

I think it means that there are no roads which are "unbroken" by intersections (turns). Therefore, it is always possible to "break" (end) the straight line (road) somewhere. A straight line that can never be "broken" has no end would therefore be an infinitely long line.

Michael, I'm simply trying to interpret what I understand. I didn't write the sentence and, as I said, I don't consider it to be either an idiom or a well-known saying. To me, it is simply a quote. What do you understand from the quote? ;)

Amy
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Foah]

Hi Amy!

Your latter post sounds a bit angry! :oops: Sorry I didn?t intend to annoy you, just your two explanations sound a bit opposite. :?

I mean a long lane that has no turning might be a long One-Way-Street without any exit. So that you must follow it till the end.

It?s just my poor understanding of that.

Michael
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"Ho ho!" said the clown

[Conchita]

[Conchita]

[Yankee]

Hi Michael

I'm not angry, just a bit frustrated because I don't know how to explain the theoretical idea of an "infinitely long road" better than I have.

infinite = never-ending/without end

A road that has no end at all (infinite) would be an "extremely long" (infinite) road. Fortunately, there are no never-ending roads. All roads have ends and/or junctions where you can turn. If you turn off one road onto another, then you have finished traveling on the first road and are on a new road. The first road has ended for you.

Amy :D
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[Alan]

Hi,

Let me throw in another phrase suggesting a similar thought: Every cloud has a silver lining.

A
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Foah]

Hi Amy!

What makes you think that the long lane that don?t have any turning/curve/bend is an infinite/endless one? I think, you just could see one if mankind would erect a lane along the equator. There wouldn?t be any turning or curve or bend. According to the geometrie the only infinite/endless lines/lanes is a circle or ellipse.

Hope that is a bit of Alan?s silver lining of every cloud!

Michael
_________________
"Ho ho!" said the clown

[Yankee]

Hi Michael

That is simply my interpretation of what the author of the quote meant when he wrote "has no turning". And that was why I compared it to an unbroken straight line.