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Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces'



 
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Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces' #1 (permalink) Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:32 am   Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces'		  
Hi,

Would you be kind enough to help me with the following passages quoted from "THE JUNGLE BOOK" by Rudyard Kipling?
Quote:
"All thanks for this good meal," he said, licking his lips. "How beautiful are the noble children! How large are their eyes! And so young too! Indeed, indeed, I might have remembered that the children of kings are men from the beginning."
Now, Tabaqui knew as well as anyone else that there is nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces. It pleased him to see Mother and Father Wolf look uncomfortable.
Tabaqui sat still, rejoicing in the mischief that he had made, and then he said spitefully:
"Shere Khan, the Big One, has shifted his hunting grounds. He will hunt among these hills for the next moon, so he has told me."


1. I just would like to figure out why to compliment children to their faces was like 'put his foot into his mouth' and even anyone else knew that.
Quote:
The bushes rustled a little in the thicket, and Father Wolf dropped with his haunches under him, ready for his leap.


2. Does this suggest the Wolf lowered himself in such a manner that all his haunches were drawn in under his body?
Quote:
Directly in front of him, holding on by a low branch, stood a naked brown baby who could just walk—as soft and as dimpled a little atom as ever came to a wolf's cave at night. He looked up into Father Wolf's face, and laughed.


3. I guess this part qualifies the verb walk. But could it be reworded as: as soft and as dimpled a little atom was as ever came to a wolf's cave? Also, does 'a little soft and dimpled atom' figuratively describe the lightness of the baby's movement? To me, an atom is itself too small to be even visible! Smile

Thank you so much in advance.

Haihao
Haihao
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Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces' #2 (permalink) Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:45 am   Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces'		  
.
1-- no particular reason; it just seems to be a part of Wolf (or Indian animal) culture.
2-- Yes.
3-- your underlined portion modifies 'baby'. Atom: 3. Anything extremely small; a particle; a whit.
.
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Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces' #3 (permalink) Fri Feb 16, 2007 23:46 pm   Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces'		  
Micawber Sensei, Hontouni Arigatougozaimashita. Smile

Haihao
Haihao
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 1392
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Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces' #4 (permalink) Fri Feb 16, 2007 23:56 pm   Expression 'nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces'		  
.
Dou itashimashite.
.
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