Aug 20, 2021 13:40
2 yrs ago
46 viewers *
English term
lamb for the well
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
An American novel
Description of a fight between a "problem-solver" (Matthew) and a killer (Slaughter). It seems that Matthew has lost the fight. Does it mean something like a "lamb to the slaughter"?
"All at once Slaughter cast him aside like dirty laundry. Matthew fell to his knees. He stared down at the floor where his own blood was dripping. He was used up, nothing left. He thought he was going to pass out in another few seconds, and lie here like a ***lamb for the well***, yes."
"All at once Slaughter cast him aside like dirty laundry. Matthew fell to his knees. He stared down at the floor where his own blood was dripping. He was used up, nothing left. He thought he was going to pass out in another few seconds, and lie here like a ***lamb for the well***, yes."
Responses
5 days
Selected
lamb for the (slaughter)
Yes, you're right: the common idiom is hat someone is "like a lamb to the slaughter", and it's a cute play on the character's name. I second guess myself on things like this all the time when I'm translating fiction, especially when there are mistakes in the source text.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you, Hayley! Thanks to Tana, too, for the explanation."
-2
30 mins
a lamb to be cooked in a well (an underground pit)
Home of the famed Lamb-in-the-Well. On Sundays, you will have a rare opportunity to taste a centuries old lamb recipe. Cooked in an underground well with burning wood on the bottom and served along rice, potatoes ...
https://www.denizkizi.com/dining/country-club.html
https://www.denizkizi.com/dining/country-club.html
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
philgoddard
: There are only three hits for this, from the same hotel in Northern Cyprus.
4 mins
|
disagree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: how does that even remotely fit the context ?
6 hrs
|
disagree |
Daryo
: ???
23 hrs
|
+6
5 hrs
Text includes an ellipsis (...). Missing a comma (,) after "well" and before "yes"
All at once Slaughter cast him aside like dirty laundry. Matthew fell to his knees. He stared down at the floor where his own blood was dripping. He was used up, nothing left. He thought he was going to pass out in another few seconds, ***and lie here like a lamb for the … well, yes. ***
Note: It is an ellipsis (...), meaning a word has been omitted, perhaps deliberately. The punctuation is incorrect, so that is why you are unable to make sense of it.
Mister Slaughter, p. 33 by Robert R. McCammon.
Note: It is an ellipsis (...), meaning a word has been omitted, perhaps deliberately. The punctuation is incorrect, so that is why you are unable to make sense of it.
Mister Slaughter, p. 33 by Robert R. McCammon.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Boris Shapiro
: Indeed.
8 mins
|
Thank you so much.
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|
agree |
Petrus Maritz
: Yes, this makes the most sense.
1 hr
|
Thank you Petrus.
|
|
agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: you too
1 hr
|
Many thanks Yvonne. Stay safe.
|
|
agree |
Daryo
18 hrs
|
Thank you.
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|
agree |
Mark Robertson
1 day 1 hr
|
Thank you Mark.
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agree |
philgoddard
: Yes, this seems a reasonable guess, though the comma isn't missing.
2 days 18 hrs
|
Right! Thx. It is not a guess though! It is plain as day in the link provided which I found on the net!
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29 days
lamb for the well
He was used up like a 'lamb for the well'. Fight being brutal for Matthew made him realize that in such scenarios its normal to be left lying there and ending in the use of the system.
Discussion
Something hit the wheel.
Not his face. Something that sounded like pebbles. Someone had just thrown a handful of pebbles into the room, is what it sounded like. Matthew heard them—four or five, it might have been—hit the wheel and bounce off; one struck the side of his neck and gave him a sting.
*** All at once Slaughter cast him aside like dirty laundry. Matthew fell to his knees. He stared down at the floor where his own blood was dripping. He was used up, nothing left. He thought he was going to pass out in another few seconds, ***and lie here like a lamb for the … well, yes. ***
“Who’s there?” he heard Slaughter roar. The man stalked to the nearest window, which looked toward the woods. “Who’s there, please?” The diplomat at work. “This is a private matter!”
Note: It is an ellipsis (...), meaning a word has been omitted, perhaps deliberately. The punctuation is incorrect, so that is why you are unable to make sense of it.
Mister Slaughter, p. 33 by Robert R. McCammon