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English Idioms


Shared and misspent youths

Nguyen Phuoc Cat Phuong
User since 2010
Posts: 2

20 Jan. 2012

Hi everyone, Im stuck here:


"Rob, like a hunky backpacker, glanced down at his beaten-up leather jacket. “What d’you mean? I do effortless boho chic pretty well!’ He and Marina were going on shared and misspent youths although they were stone-cold sober last Friday night."


1. What does Rob mean when he said "I do effortless boho chic pretty well"?


2. And what does "be going on share and misspend youths" mean?


3. And how about "stone-cold sober"?

6 comments

  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    22 Jan. 2012

    1. What does Rob mean when he said "I do effortless boho chic pretty well"?


    Let me rephrase this sentence:


    "I do a pretty good job in dressing elegantly like a bohemian - and dressing like a bohemian doesn't require any effort"


    "boho chic" - the elegance in which a bohemian dresses. It's effortless, because bohemian chic also includes threadbare leather jackets and a sloppy dressing style - therefore dressing like a bohemian doesn't require much effort.


    2. "He and Marina were going on shared and misspent youths"


    "He and Marina were destroying themselves (to go on) by living a common (shared) youth in a way which was not good for them (misspent)


    3. "stone-cold sober"


    That's a colloquial term in English for "sober", "not drunk".
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 2

    25 Jan. 2012

    Thank you very much Head Gasket, can I ask more?


    Here they are:


    =======================
    “He’s not making a play for me,” Frankie explained, carefully. “We’re mates. I’m feeling down. He’s trying to cheer me up, OK?”




    “Oh, believe or not! By the time he came downstairs, you were a bag of nerves. He made his pit-stop.”
    =======================


    I dont understand what does she mean when she said "He made his pit-stop".


    I dont have the situation, just know that 2 girls are talking in a class room.
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    26 Jan. 2012

    I hope I can help. But it's very difficult, almost impossible to know for sure meaning of the word, because to understand it you need to know more about the context, the plot or characters of the story.


    As you mentioned, you don't have more context, you only know the conversation is taking place between two
    girls in a classsrom. Hence, we can all only make assumptions and interpretations.


    This much I can say: A „pit-stop“ is usually used in car races, like the Formula One. When a racing car has a technical damage, like a congested carburetor or a flat tire (for example), it leaves the racecourse for a short break and stops at the "pit stop, where the damage is fixed by the mechanics.


    Within the context you mentioned, the meaning of "he made his pit-stop" is obviously only a metaphor, because we cannott assume he was really fixed at a "pit-stop." (after all, he is no car). We need to have more context, more of the plot and about character, to be ableto know exactly what it means. Without the context, it's difficult to know.


    Maybe - and that's only an assumption- he did take a short break and did something for recreation and to "replenish his resources", whereas the other person seemed very stressed and nervous. I don't know, it's only a surmise, we could need more context, as mentioned.
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    27 Jan. 2012

    I looked it over again, and I had more time to ponder about it. Finally, I think, "he made his pit-stop" is meant more lewd than we originally might have thought.


    It seems to be about a guy, who is allegedly only a good friend, cheering one of the girls up when she was down. But, the other girl is under the impression he wanted much more than that ("He is making a play for the other girl", which means "he makes a pass at her" = trying to engage her in a romantic/sexual relationship). And by the time he came downstairs again, allegedly only having cheered the girl up, she was a quite nervous and he "made his pit-stop" - if you know what I mean.


    "to make one's pit-stop" is obviously a metaphor for a romantic/sexual activity.
  • User since 2011
    Posts: 6

    1 Feb. 2012

    would "make one's pit stop" have the same meaning
    as "ring one"s bell?
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    2 Feb. 2012

    I've no real idea. I don't know the expression "to ring one's bell", and maybe it has this certain meaning.


    What I know is the expression "That rings a bell", which means "something sounds familiar".
    You often use it like that, as a question: "Does that ring a bell?", meaning "Does that sound familiar to you?" or "Does that remind you of something?".

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