Feb 14, 2022 09:55
2 yrs ago
30 viewers *
English term
They would never find me.
English
Other
Other
John Grisham, The Street Lawyer
I came across this sentence, 'They would never find me.' while reading Chapter Sixteen, The Street Lawyer by John Grisham.
Here is some context:
"...Peeler returned to the car, slamming the door and shaking the water off his shoulders. "He's waiting for you," he said.
I stepped into the rain, raised my umbrella, and walked quickly to the gates where Officer Winkle was waiting without the slightest trace of humor or goodwill. He produced keys by the dozens, somehow found the three that fit the heavy padlocks, and said to me, "Over here," as he opened the gates. I followed him through the gravel lot, avoiding when possible the potholes filled with brown water and mud. My entire body ached with every move, so my hopping and dodging were restricted. He went straight to my car.
I went right to the front seat. No file. After a moment of panic, I found it behind the driver's seat, on the floor, intact. I grabbed it, and was ready to go. I was in no mood to survey the damage I'd walked away from. I had survived in one piece, and that was all that mattered. I'd haggle with the insurance company next week.
"Is that it?" Winkle asked.
"Yes," I said, ready to bolt.
"Follow me."
We entered the shed where a butane heater roared in a corner, blasting us with hot air. tie selected one of ten clipboards from the wall, and began stating at the file I was holding. "Brown manila file," he said as he wrote. "About two inches thick." I stood there clutching it as if it were gold. "Is there a name on it?"
I was in no position to protest. One smart-ass remark, and they would never find me. "Why do you need it?" I asked.
"Put it on the table," he said.
On the table it went. "RiverOaks slash TAG, Inc.," he said, still writing. "File number TBC-96-3381." My trail widened even more.
"Do you own this?" he asked, pointing, with no small amount of suspicion. "Yes."
"Okay. You can go now."
I don't quite understand the implication of that 'they would never find me". I would expect something like 'I'd never get this file" or something. But it sounds a little more serous to me, like 'I would be done for'. I don't believe one can expect it from a police officer. Thank you in advance!
Here is some context:
"...Peeler returned to the car, slamming the door and shaking the water off his shoulders. "He's waiting for you," he said.
I stepped into the rain, raised my umbrella, and walked quickly to the gates where Officer Winkle was waiting without the slightest trace of humor or goodwill. He produced keys by the dozens, somehow found the three that fit the heavy padlocks, and said to me, "Over here," as he opened the gates. I followed him through the gravel lot, avoiding when possible the potholes filled with brown water and mud. My entire body ached with every move, so my hopping and dodging were restricted. He went straight to my car.
I went right to the front seat. No file. After a moment of panic, I found it behind the driver's seat, on the floor, intact. I grabbed it, and was ready to go. I was in no mood to survey the damage I'd walked away from. I had survived in one piece, and that was all that mattered. I'd haggle with the insurance company next week.
"Is that it?" Winkle asked.
"Yes," I said, ready to bolt.
"Follow me."
We entered the shed where a butane heater roared in a corner, blasting us with hot air. tie selected one of ten clipboards from the wall, and began stating at the file I was holding. "Brown manila file," he said as he wrote. "About two inches thick." I stood there clutching it as if it were gold. "Is there a name on it?"
I was in no position to protest. One smart-ass remark, and they would never find me. "Why do you need it?" I asked.
"Put it on the table," he said.
On the table it went. "RiverOaks slash TAG, Inc.," he said, still writing. "File number TBC-96-3381." My trail widened even more.
"Do you own this?" he asked, pointing, with no small amount of suspicion. "Yes."
"Okay. You can go now."
I don't quite understand the implication of that 'they would never find me". I would expect something like 'I'd never get this file" or something. But it sounds a little more serous to me, like 'I would be done for'. I don't believe one can expect it from a police officer. Thank you in advance!
Change log
Feb 17, 2022 08:49: Daryo changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:
PRO (3): philgoddard, Clauwolf, Daryo
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Responses
2 days 23 hrs
Selected
I would be in deep trouble
The literal meaning - "they'll disappear me" makes little sense in this story. I somehow doubt that the head of this legal firm is the soulmate of Al Capone.
What could make sense is to interpret is as just a figure of speech
"One smart-ass remark, and I will be in really deep trouble"
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Note added at 7 days (2022-02-22 02:01:17 GMT)
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If you try to put yourself in the mindset of a culture where "Mafia ways of thinking" are a fact of life, a reference everyone understands locally, using "they would never find me" to mean "the consequences would be really bad" would be natural.
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Note added at 7 days (2022-02-22 02:06:47 GMT)
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The book is available online
https://novel12.com/243450/the-street-lawyer.htm
What could make sense is to interpret is as just a figure of speech
"One smart-ass remark, and I will be in really deep trouble"
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Note added at 7 days (2022-02-22 02:01:17 GMT)
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If you try to put yourself in the mindset of a culture where "Mafia ways of thinking" are a fact of life, a reference everyone understands locally, using "they would never find me" to mean "the consequences would be really bad" would be natural.
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Note added at 7 days (2022-02-22 02:06:47 GMT)
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The book is available online
https://novel12.com/243450/the-street-lawyer.htm
Note from asker:
| This is also my understanding. But I keep wondering why the author chose this figure of speech, so misleading even for native English readers (unless they understand the context). It isn't a set phrase, is it? 'They would never find me' and 'I'd be deep in trouble' doesn't mean the same, does it? |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks!"
7 hrs
they would never find (encounter) me.
:) For he did not register the file, they would'nt find him (literally).
Without the file he would miss the proof which represented the confidencial file.
Please note that after the register he said: "My trail widened even more"
It's a very good book to read
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Note added at 8 hrs (2022-02-14 18:24:39 GMT)
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"they" is the firm he suspected
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Note added at 11 hrs (2022-02-14 21:26:18 GMT)
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I will try to resume the thing:
The Street Lawyer took the confidential file from the firm he worked for, but just to take copy of it; he got the file, but suffer an accident and the file was inside the car. If he said at that point something "smart-ass", the officer could not give to him the confidential file. The register of the file could be a trail to the firm, and then they (the firm) could find him.
I hope you understand now.
Without the file he would miss the proof which represented the confidencial file.
Please note that after the register he said: "My trail widened even more"
It's a very good book to read
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Note added at 8 hrs (2022-02-14 18:24:39 GMT)
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"they" is the firm he suspected
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Note added at 11 hrs (2022-02-14 21:26:18 GMT)
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I will try to resume the thing:
The Street Lawyer took the confidential file from the firm he worked for, but just to take copy of it; he got the file, but suffer an accident and the file was inside the car. If he said at that point something "smart-ass", the officer could not give to him the confidential file. The register of the file could be a trail to the firm, and then they (the firm) could find him.
I hope you understand now.
Note from asker:
| I agree with your second note, and this is my understanding, too. I was looking for some sort of confirmation was wasn't about killing. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Daryo
: "IF I AVOID MAKING just one smart-ass remark, then they can't find me" As far as I can see, the actual text is about what happens "IF I DO make one smart-ass remark, ..." / IOW it very much sounds like you talk about the opposite of what's in the text?
2 days 20 hrs
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no, I said the contrary of that, sorry for my bad English:)
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+4
3 hrs
I would be killed (and my body never found / never be seen again)
I would understand it that he imagined he would be assassinated and his body hidden, so would never be found. Typically, this is the sort of scenario with Mafia or gangland killings.
If you like, it's a short way of saying "I'd be killed and my body would never be found" — this idea of people being "disappeared"...
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Note added at 6 days (2022-02-21 07:32:38 GMT)
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Well, obviously, it's a lot easier with a great deal more context in front of us that you failed to give us in the first place!
However, you are taking my remark far too literally — I was just seeking to explain the notion of people being "disappeared", and clearly foolishly used the Mafia scenario as en explanation for the use of this otherwise slightly odd term.
However, whatever the actual case, he is making it clear that were he to make some ill-advised remark, the consequences for him would be dire. Now we have proper context, then clearly it is less literally dramatic than his remark might be seen to suggest; so probably "never seen again" would be more to do with his career in Law being finished, rather than his literal life.
If you like, it's a short way of saying "I'd be killed and my body would never be found" — this idea of people being "disappeared"...
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Note added at 6 days (2022-02-21 07:32:38 GMT)
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Well, obviously, it's a lot easier with a great deal more context in front of us that you failed to give us in the first place!
However, you are taking my remark far too literally — I was just seeking to explain the notion of people being "disappeared", and clearly foolishly used the Mafia scenario as en explanation for the use of this otherwise slightly odd term.
However, whatever the actual case, he is making it clear that were he to make some ill-advised remark, the consequences for him would be dire. Now we have proper context, then clearly it is less literally dramatic than his remark might be seen to suggest; so probably "never seen again" would be more to do with his career in Law being finished, rather than his literal life.
Note from asker:
| I'm more with Daryo on this, it's really not about maffia dealings but a lawyer trying to recover a file (he had stolen) from his crashed car at the lot guarded by a 'small, thin uniformed policeman'. It would be therefore quite logical to assume that the lawyer's first concern was to get the file, and a stupid remark could make the cop, who already was reluctant, to withold it. |
| Well, I wouldn't mind giving a wider context, but it's really several pages long. Anyway, one thing is clear to me: if 'they would never find me' is a metaphor, then it should be used cautiously for by many it could be taken literally, that is make someone disappear, etc. I'm just wondering why John Grisham used this figure of speech, somehat ambiguous, isn't it? Thank you for your contribution anyway. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
TonyTK
1 hr
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Thanks, Tony!
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| agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
2 hrs
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Thanks, Tina!
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| neutral |
philgoddard
: Hmm. Maybe.
2 hrs
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Thanks, Phil! If it was something that discouraged him from making a msart-ass remark...
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| agree |
Jennifer Levey
: Yes, it's pretty clear that this is the implied consequence of making 'One smart-ass remark'.
5 hrs
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Thanks, Jennifer!
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| agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
1 day 1 hr
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Thanks, Yvonne!
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| neutral |
Daryo
: it is the first interpretation you would think of, but it makes no sense in this story - the "Mafia" he's dealing with are legal sharks and lazy/obnoxious cops, can't see anyone of them having a strong enough motivation to kill him over a missing file.
2 days 18 hrs
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Well, of course if Asker had given us this background context in the first place, it would have been clearer that this was a purely metaphorical remark and my explanation did not take that into account. People are reading my illustration too literally!
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Discussion
He just left an official police record of having claimed the stolen file as his own. The "trail" that "just widened even more" is in fact the trail of the missing file.
but as for the previous bit
One smart-ass remark, and they would never find me
the idea that someone would kill him and make his body vanish makes little sense in this story. Who would do it? This bored cop baby-sitting crashed cars? The legal firm he just left over a missing file?
Clues are somewhere here, in the previous chapters: https://novel12.com/243450/the-street-lawyer.htm
First person narrative is a perfectly valid stylistic device used in FR just as much as it is in EN, and changing it to third person may well require a quite different translation — as well as not being part of the translator's remit, except in special circumstances.
While in general glossary style is to be preferred for entries, there are many times when the translation hive needs to consider the expression in question in its proper formulation, and modifying to something like glossary format would be counter productive.
Couldn't it mean that he'd go into hiding? It says later "my trail widened even more".
so it seems he has annoyed this cop!
Post an answer Tony
If you like, it's a short way of saying "I'd be killed and my body would never be found" — this idea of people being "disappeared"...