Archimedes needing a lie down

[Eugene2114]

With enough permutations to leave Archimedes needing a lie down, any pair from Blackburn, Wolves, Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan could be heading for the dreaded trapdoor come Sunday evening.

Hi,
1) A 'lie down' = a nap /which I think doesn't match here/. Perhaps, it's allusion to his
lying down in a bath and the following :"Eureka!" Am I right?
2) "come Sunday" = "coming Sunday"?
Thanks.

[Beeesneees]

I think it is just 'a nap'. Even someone as interested in thinking all the possibilities through as Archimedes would get tired working out all the possibilities here. In fact, he would feel so tired he would need a nap.

For 'come' here, substitute 'next'. It's a shortened form of 'When (next) Sunday comes.' (When Sunday arrives)
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Cheers m' dears!

[Esl_Expert]

Hi Eugene,

BN has given you a good explanation of the meaning of 'come Sunday evening'.

Phrases such as 'come Sunday evening' are basically remnants of subjunctive usage. In other words, 'come' is present subjunctive in that phrase.

In modern English, this usage is special for the verb 'come', and it is frequently found at the beginning of a sentence (though as you can see in your example, it is also sometimes used elsewhere in a sentence):

- Come December, the trees will all be bare and there will be snow on the ground.
- Come April, the tulips will be blooming.
- Come noon on Friday, I'll have finished this awful financial report and will be heading home early.

If you happen to have a copy of Quirk's A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, you'll find this mentioned on page 1014, section 14.24.

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"Stephen King writes a lot of things that are really charming and quirky, and that are more ironic than horror." ~ William H. Macy

[Eugene2114]

Thank you, both Beees and Esl Expert, for your exhaustive replies. They really made a difference. Since Prof. R. A.Close I'm consulting doesn't mention that most interesting usage of "come".
Best regards.

[Beeesneees]

There's so much to English that even the best grammar books are likely to leave something out, Eugene.
It's great that you were able to turn to this forum for help.
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Cheers m' dears!