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Expression "This behind their hands"



 
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Phrasal Verbs in formal writing? | My dad works at the Capital?
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Expression "This behind their hands" #1 (permalink) Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:05 am   Expression "This behind their hands"		  
Hi,

Could you please help me out with the passage below?
Quote:
And as soon as the old people said, "Poor Emily," the whispering began. "Do you suppose it's really so?" they said to one another. "Of course it is. What else could . . ." This behind their hands; rustling of craned silk and satin behind jalousies closed upon the sun of Sunday afternoon as the thin, swift clop-clop-clop of the matched team passed: "Poor Emily."

Could I understand the underlined part as:

This was out of their mouths behind their hands; there was rustling of silk and satin, in which they stretched out their necks, behind jalousies closed up against the sun of Sunday afternoon.

Thank you!

Haihao
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Expression "This behind their hands" #2 (permalink) Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:12 am   Expression "This behind their hands"		  
Hi Haihao,

This behind their hands is the only part I would question in your explanation. 'To me behind their hands' is a shortened version of 'This was said behind their hands' suggesting that they were saying this in a hushed voice so that no-one could hear.

Alan
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