Re: Grammar - Can
From: | Ph. D. <phild@...> |
Date: | Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 20:11 |
Roger Mills said:
> Yitzik wrote:
>>
>> Or what does the phrase "See the man!" mean?
>> I've got at least two variants of interpretation:
>> "Behold, here is that man!" or "Have a look at
>> that man!"
>
> "See the man!" to me is also quite odd; although
> many generations of Americans have learned reading
> from a similar series of books (See Spot run! et
> al.), I've never heard, nor used, "see" as an
> imperative in such a construction. It would be
> "Look at...!"
Except in the idiomatic (and dialectical) use meaning
to talk with someone with more authority, etc.
Someone talking to a coworker: "I'm just doing as
I was instructed. If you don't like the way I'm
doing it, then see the man!"
i.e. "then go talk to my boss."
--Ph. D.