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Expression: open up



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
The best way to sudy Idiom | Meaning of nostalgia
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Expression: open up Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:14 am  Expression: open up
 

Hi,

Could you please help me again with the following paragraphs?

Quote:
"I forgot to ask you something, and it's important. We heard you were engaged to a girl out West."
"That's right," corroborated Tom kindly. "We heard that you were engaged."
"It's libel. I'm too poor."
"But we heard it," insisted Daisy, surprising me by opening up again in a flower-like way. "We heard it from three people so it must be true."

1. Does it mean 'straightforwardly picking up the topic again like a flower blooms out?

Quote:
Already it was deep summer on roadhouse roofs and in front of wayside garages, where new red gas-pumps sat out in pools of light, and when I reached my estate at West Egg I ran the car under its shed and sat for a while on an abandoned grass roller in the yard. The wind had blown off, leaving a loud bright night with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life.

2. Does this 'as' mean just 'as' or possibly 'as if'?

Thank you!

Haihao
Haihao
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Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 1376
Location: Japan

Expression: open up Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:26 am  Expression: open up
 

Hi Haihao,

I would suggest the 'opening up again' expression refers to the open expression on the girl's face - she is being very frank and open about what she says.

'As' here to me suggests the idea simply of 'while' and the 'if' element you suggest is contained within the metaphor: 'the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life'.

A
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Expression: open up Tue Apr 24, 2007 1:15 am  Expression: open up
 

Hi Alan,

Your interpretation explains everything to me. Thank you very much again!

Haihao
Haihao
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Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 1376
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The best way to sudy Idiom | Meaning of nostalgia
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