Analytical reading-Part 20

From My Old Man

Erskine Caldwell

I

 took the egg to the store and traded it for a poke of corn just like Pa did when I went along with him. Mr. Brown said he had heard that Pa won three dollars at a cocking down near Nortonsville the day before, and he wanted to know why we were trading an egg for the corn instead of paying some of the money Pa had made. I told him I didn’t know anything about that, because Pa hadn’t said a word about how College Boy did at Nortonsville since he got back. Mr. Brown told me to tell Pa that he wanted a chance to see College Boy in a pit the next time they had one near Fairfield. I went back up the street with the poke of corn in my shirt so Ma wouldn’t see it and take it away from me.

                Pa was already back from Mrs. Taylor’s with the washing, and he had come out behind the chicken house to see if I had brought the corn. The chicken house was about a hundred and fifty feet from the backyard where Ma was washing, and we would stay out there and be out of sight. But we had to keep from talking loud, though, or she could hear us.

                He was squatting on the ground holding College Boy and wiping him off with a damp rag. College Boy had lost quite a lot of feathers, and he was pretty well tired out. His right leg was sore where the skin had rubbed off when a spur worked loose. Pa said for a while he was afraid College Boy wasn’t going to be able to come through, on account of the loose spur, but when he found out he couldn’t do any damage with the right one, he went to work with the left one. Pa said it was the closest call College Boy had had since his first pit fight. He said he was going to let College Boy rest until his leg healed up, because he didn’t want to run any risks.

Notes and comments:

to trade-to exchange, to barter, to swap (sl.)

a trader-a merchant

the trades-пасатите

a cocking-a cock fight

dog fight

horse race

boxing match

a pit-яма, дупка

a cocking-pit-арена за бой на петли

a pit (theatrical term)-партер

the pit of the stomach-диафрагмата

a pitfall = a stumbling block (fig.)-капан, клопка

the Pit = Hell, Hades-преизподня, пъкло, ад

a grain-pit-силоз за зърнени храни

to store-to accumulate, to keep, to preserve = трупам, натрупвам, запасявам се с (up), складирам

a store-1) quantity of goods kept, a stock = запас; 2) a shop (department store-универсален магазин) = магазин

to keep in cold storage-съхранявам в хладилни условия

a storehouse = a warehouse-склад, хранилище, хамбар

a stock of words-запас от думи, словно богатство, речников запас

a store of provisions-запас от провизии

an ammunition dump-оръжеен склад

to keep away from something-избягвам нещо

to keep from + Gerund = to refrain from + Gerund = въздържам се

to keep somebody in the dark-държа някого в неведение

to be in the secret-посветен съм в тайна

to keep an eye on somebody-държа някого под око

to keep mum (colloq.)-държа си езика, не дрънкам

to keep quiet/silent-мълча си, пазя тишина

a door-keeper-портиер

a goal-keeper-вратар (футбол)

an inn-keeper-ханджия, съдържател на страноприемница

auberge (Fr.)-страноприемница

a game-keeper-горски

a keeper in the park = a park ranger-пазач (на парк)

a keeper of the faith-пазител на вярата (една от титлите на английската корона)

a keeper of morals-блюстител на морала

but: a warden of a treasure-пазач на съкровище; a prison warden-тъмничар

to squat-1) to sit on one’s haunches = клеча, клякам; 2) to settle illegally on land (a squatting-place-поселище) = заселвам се незаконно върху държавна земя или в жилище

to wipe off-заличавам, помитам, ликвидирам

to wipe out a blot from one’s reputation-изтривам/заличавам петно от репутацията си

to wipe out enemy fortifications-to destroy, to annihilate = унищожаван вражески укрепления

a ragged appearance-a shabby look = занемарен външен вид

a ragamuffin-парцалан, дрипльо, уличник, гамен

ragtime-jazz

to rub-to exercise pressure with friction,thus rubbish (the resulting product)-боклук

to rub shoulders with life-очуквам се, отраквам се в живота

a spur had worked loose-една шпора се бе разклатила

to work oneself into a rage-постепенно изпадам в състояние на ярост

to work one’s jaw-многоглаголствам, дрънкам

he went to work with the left one-той захвана с другата