长难句释义

1. You may turn out to be the one man hidden away who will bring merriment to the tired old human heart.(4)

2. He sold me the shop for seventy-five, and threw in the haircut.(18)

He sold me the shop for seventy-five dollars, and in addition, he gave me a haircut free of charge.

3. Clark Larrabee, come home. Your fishing tackle’s in the closet safe and sound. The fishing’s good, plenty of perch, and bass. (53)

This does not read like an advertisement. It’s more like a boy talking to his father from the bottom of his heart, trying to get him home by recounting the things they enjoyed together. Simple but touching.

4. Miss America, I Presume. (57)

Probably because in the small town, it is unusual for a woman to appear in public places in swimming suits, Harry calls Miss McCutcheon Miss America.

5. I must say I expected to see a much older man. (84)

I expected a man older than you are to have such an idea that I should teach cooking. This is an old-fashioned education program.

Harry is taking this up in a teasing way by pretending to take this as a compliment rather than a criticism that she thinks he looks much younger for his age.

6. It’s never too soon for any of us to face the truth. (176)

Any of us should face the truth, the earlier, the better.

7. … in as much as only one oyster in a million has a pearl in it, truth favors the probability that this is not the millionth oyster… (178)

(formal) used to introduce a phrase which explains why or how much another part of the sentence is true

Because only one oyster out of a million has a pearl in it, it is not likely that this oyster will be just that one. The chances of finding a pearl in an oyster are vey slim.

8. Clay believes there’s a pearl in this oyster for the same reason you and I believe whatever we believe to keep us going.(215)

We have the courage to face the world with all its obstacles and difficulties because we have our faith/belief/hope. It’s the same with Clay. He believes there’s a pearl in the oyster because it gives him hope that his father will come home.

9. There is something to be said for going to a barber shop once in a while. (264)

There is a pretty good reason for…

It is not bad to have a chance to have a haircut in a barber shop occasionally.

10. You might have done me the courtesy of waiting until I had come back before opening it. (309)

You should have waited until I came back before you opened the oyster.