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Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—String Ain't Run:
After a Mexican in Nacori mutters an insult at the Americans, the Americans fight and kill almost 40 Mexicans. As the fight nears an end, Glanton employs an idiom to remind the Americans to scalp the Mexicans:
Hair, boys, he said. The string aint run on this trade yet.
The idiom "the string aint run" is no longer in use. It can be understood to mean "has not ended," and in the context of the quotation above clearly indicates that there is still a demand for scalps. McCarthy appears to have borrowed the idiom from older western horse-trading lingo, although he applies it here to the scalp trade.
The use of an idiom at all makes the reminder to scalp the townspeople they have just brutally murdered casual, underscoring the brutality of both the request and the act itself. Indeed, those who will pay for the scalps would not have wanted Glanton's crew to murder the Mexican townspeople of Nacori, but it is impossible to tell who a scalp belongs to after the fact. Not only does the use of an idiom make Glanton's serious request casual in nature, but it also contributes to the general dialect of the Americans, which is that of a classical western.
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