Learning English and telling story: fiddle and husband

fiddle

When violin is used to play folk music, it is often called “fiddle”, informal use of which also means “cheating and defrauding”.

We all know Churchill was an “accomplished” painter. He loved painting; he said in his Painting as a Pastime, “When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, . . . To be really happy and safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real.” So one time he took up violin and had to put it down in no time.

One of the numerous Churchill's biography books I read is “Churchill: an informal study of greatness”, in which I read the following paragraph, which is the best example of using “fiddle” for both of its meanings (violin and cheating).

It is not widely known that Churchill, in a period of political crisis, once bought a cheap violin and essayed to prepare himself for the concert stage. The fancy passed. Unlike bricklaying, the musical art was tougher than it looked. About all he got out of it was a witticism from Philip Snowden, a government opponent, who said, “I understand that Winston has taken up a new pastime — fiddling, and very appropriate, too.”

Churchill and Philip Snowden for many years were political enemies. But in his Great Contemporaries Churchill had kind words to say of him.

Afterwards it fell to my lot for seven years to wrangle with him about finance as Chancellor of the Exchequer, or in opposition to his Chancellorship, and we hit each other as hard as we could within the wide rules of Order. But never have I had any feelings towards him which destroyed the impression that he was a generous, true-hearted man.

The article about Philip Snowden ends with, (the "famous lines" come from a poem with a title of "England: an Ode"

The history of Parliament will not ignore the scene when the House of Commons rose to their feet in enthusiasm as he recited the famous lines:

All our past proclaims the future: Shakespeare's voice and Nelson's hand, Milton's faith and Wordsworth's trust in this our chosen and chainless land,
Bear us witness .. .
Come the world against her, England yet shall stand!

husband

Everyone knows what “husband” is, here are a few examples of using “husband” as the meaning of “to use resource economically; conserve”.

In his The Confessions Rousseau wrote about his encounter, while as a teenager, of a sexual abuse from a priest. I am not showing you the content of his description of the abuse, as it is not the intention of this post. In fact, he mentioned this kind of sexual abuse on another occasion. The sexual abuse scandal of the priests is apparently not a modern thing.

Conscious that my funds were nearly exhausted, I husbanded the miserable sum that still remained. . . . The weather was fine, and one evening when it was very hot I decided to sleep out in the public square. I had already settled down on a bench when a priest, who was passing and saw me lying there, came over and asked me if I had nowhere to stay. I confessed my plight, and he seemed touched by it. He sat down beside me, and we talked. His conversation was pleasant, and from what he said I conceived the highest possible opinion of him. . . .

The following is how Churchill wrote in his World War II memoir (this is what propelled him to get a Nobel Prize in Literature) explaining how nearly 400,000 British soldiers (a small fraction was French soldiers) could be evacuated from Dunkirk.

However, very early on the 25th [5/25/1940] a fresh directive was sent from Brauchitsch as the Commander-in-Chief ordering the continuation of the advance by the armour. Rundstedt, fortified by Hitler's verbal agreement, [Hitler visited his headquarter 5/24/40] would have none of it. He did not pass on the order to the Fourth Army commander, Kluge, who was told to continue to husband the panzer divisions. Kluge protested at the delay, but it was not until next day, the 26th, that Rundstedt released them, although even then he enjoined that Dunkirk was not yet itself to be directly assaulted. . . . It is therefore certain that the armour was halted; that this was done on the initiative not of Hitler but of Rundstedt. Rundstedt no doubt had reasons for his view both in condition of the armour and in the general battle, but he ought to have obeyed the formal orders of the Army Command, or at least told them what Hitler had said in conversation. There is general agreement among the German commanders that a great opportunity was lost.