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What is a man?


Red Fish

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Nammy, I'm not being critical here, so don't take it that way at all, K? I sort of liked it, but I just don't get the last line either, and here is why:

To my knowledge "have at you" is not an American expression either. To "have at it" means to "go for it" , and that might make some sense. I understand having an individual style, but it seems to me that if you have to explain your words then something about the poem doesn't work. Unless you are the only person you are writing for.

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To my knowledge "have at you" is not an American expression either. To "have at it" means to "go for it" , and that might make some sense.

Well, y'know, I was just trying to make our Belgian friend feel a little better about not understanding the final bit? Of my 43 years on planet Earth, I've spent upwards of 42 in England, speaking English. Granted, for a couple of those years I had minimal language and comprehension skills (insert your own joke here). In all that time, I had never encountered the phrase "have at it", until I saw it used here on SF by American English-speaking persons. I could work out what it meant, without too much trouble, what with being an English-speaker. It may be that the phrase has its origins in English, but the same could be said for most American-English phrases, could it not? ;)

Wherever its origins , it seems to be in more commonplace usage over there than it is over here.

I'm a bit surprised B-F didn't get the Shakespeare reference. I've always felt he is pretty adept at English Lit.

Ouch! That smarts.

Adept at the language, perhaps; not so much the Literature. I got a grade C at O-level: indicative of the failings of the English comprehensive school system and the poverty of my work ethic.

Never read Shakespeare: didn't realise it made me a lesser person, though. :P

"Have at you": doesn't sound very Shakespearean, to these ears... Are you sure it's one of his? If so, it's hardly one of his best.

Strangely enough, much as it might be perceived as one of our "quaint English traditions", I never did get into sword-fighting, either. Thus, I remain blissfully unaware of the sport's arcane terminology.

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I think it's based on Freudian concepts.

(:beady:)

look don't try to do all that stupid psychoanalytical garbage on my poetry i already told you what it means you don't need to start with your oxford styled fancy education smarts on it i don't even know what frueding means

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I think my more than slight disdain for Freud and his so-called 'theories' is fairly well-known in these parts. I mean, Jung at least admitted he had no proof for what he said, but what right did Freud ever have to claim his methods were 'scientific'? Twit. :beady:

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