Question
Updated on
29 May 2021
- Russian
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English (UK)
Question about English (UK)
In the instagram of theelendegeneresshow I saw the episode with Madonna where she told her story and said "I shriveled away". I know the verb "to shrivel / to shrivel up", but no dictionary gives the phrasal verb "to shrivel away". Does it have the same meaning as "to shrivel" has?
In the instagram of theelendegeneresshow I saw the episode with Madonna where she told her story and said "I shriveled away". I know the verb "to shrivel / to shrivel up", but no dictionary gives the phrasal verb "to shrivel away". Does it have the same meaning as "to shrivel" has?
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29 May 2021
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- English (UK)
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@molenka Well it sounds as if I was wrong. She is just saying shriveled away instead of shriveled up and it has much the same meaning. I suppose shriveled up means completely shriveled while if something has shriveled away it might be able to shrivel further.
I know Madonna is very keen on physical fitness so if she did no exercise for a month that would have quite an impact.
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- English (UK)
- English (US)
This is a metaphorical use of shrivel. She is saying two things at once.
What she probably literally did was _slink_ away from some situation (sorry I didn't watch this). "Slink" is a similar-sounding verb that fits with "away". However by saying "shrivel" she is adding the idea of what happens to a plant when it shrivels, for example when it is not watered. Like a sort of deflation. So she suggests how a confident outgoing person changes and becomes small and timid and adds that to the idea of slinking away.
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@hnisol the question was how she manages to be in such a great form, and Madonna tells the story that she fell off the horse and broke 9 bones, that was why she didn't do anything during one month, and it was very strange for her and she shriveled away.
- English (UK)
- English (US)
@molenka Well it sounds as if I was wrong. She is just saying shriveled away instead of shriveled up and it has much the same meaning. I suppose shriveled up means completely shriveled while if something has shriveled away it might be able to shrivel further.
I know Madonna is very keen on physical fitness so if she did no exercise for a month that would have quite an impact.
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- Russian
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