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As an English as a second language speaker, this is the first time in years that a sentence has stumped me. Is this a common construction? Thanks to a dictiona
by copperx 7y ago
As an English as a second language speaker, this is the first time in years that a sentence has stumped me. Is this a common construction?
Thanks to a dictionary I now know that "to see off" means "to fend off".
- blzrdnofreespch 7y agoI wouldn’t consider it common in the sense that it’s used often in every day conversation, but it’s definitely a construction I’ve heard enough to understand without thinking about it, if that makes sense.
- bsder 7y agoIt's a British idiom rather than a general English construct.
- sidlls 7y agoIt's definitely not common in America, where it's more commonly used in, e.g., a parting of ways with a close friend or relation for a journey ("see Johhny off [to the airport for college]").
- Noumenon72 7y agoThat's the sense I understood this in. That the fish doesn't defeat the piranhas or "fight them off", but it can ignore them until they give up because of the armor, and then bid them goodbye.
- trengrj 7y agoBy ”general English” I assume you are meaning American English?
- andrewflnr 7y ago"general English" reasonably applies to the common subset of the language.
- thaumasiotes 7y agoAs a native speaker of American English, I can assure you that "to see off" does not mean "to fend off"; I had no trouble understanding what the title meant, but I assumed it was an error. A sidethread comment suggests this is a Britishism.
- SideburnsOfDoom 7y agoIt would be easier to read as " To see off piranha, this fish has strong armour" or "this fish has strong armour, in order to see off Piranha"
- justinclift 7y agoAs a data point, the term seems to be in use in the UK, as I came across it now and again while there. It's not in common use in Australia though.