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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet

English answer:

tagging along on the end of the line of mourners at a funeral

Added to glossary by Tony M
Jun 10, 2012 15:52
12 yrs ago
English term

bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet

English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and BRINGING UP THE REAR OF EVERY FUNERAL I MEET; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
Responses
4 +7 tagging along on the end of the line of mourners at a funeral
Change log

Jun 10, 2012 15:52: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"

Mar 14, 2013 17:03: Tony M Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): Tony M

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Responses

+7
4 mins
Selected

tagging along on the end of the line of mourners at a funeral

(literally)

Of course being used more figuratively here, to illustrate apparently a morbidly depressive state of mind.


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Note added at 2 hrs (2012-06-10 17:54:18 GMT)
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Oh dear, then you ought to buy a better dictionary, it's a very common term and still perfectly current; in NS OED, it is listed under 'rear', since you really do need to consider the expression 'to bring up the rear' as a whole — you probably won't find it under 'to bring up' (= educate children or vomit!)
Note from asker:
I've never seen this meaning of "bring up" in dics.
Yes, found it under "rear"). Thank you, Tony!
Peer comment(s):
agree Terry Richards : I'm not so sure its figurative, he might literally be doing that.
8 mins
Thanks, Terry! Yes, I expressed myself badly; what I should have said was 'illustratively' — i.e. the kind of things he might typically have done.
agree Jack Doughty
49 mins
Thanks, Jack!
agree B D Finch : I think that you are right about it being figurative, as is the bit about knocking people's hats off.
51 mins
Thanks, B! Yes... well... at least, I hope so! ;-)
agree katsy : I take this literally - he is talking about his depression ('hypos'), and going to sea is the remedy for it; an alternative to suicide, as he says! Ah the great life/death ambiguity of the image of the sea...
1 hr
Thanks, Katsy! I think I can identify with this character: I was born and grew up on a boat, and am never happy when far from water; though I'm not an ocean-going sailor either! ;-)
agree Veronika McLaren
1 hr
Thanks, Veronika!
agree Jenni Lukac (X)
5 hrs
Thanks, Jenni!
agree Adela Porumbel
19 hrs
Thanks, Adde!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
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