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Willow
What does "well-ripened " and "seasoned" mean?
What does "well-ripened " and "seasoned" mean in the following paragraph?
It's said by a rat who ate a lot of leftover.
"What a night!" he repeated, hoarsely. "What feasting and carousing! A real gorge! I must have eaten the remains of thirty lunches. Never have I seen such leavings, and everything well-ripened and seasoned with the passage of time and the heat of the day. Oh, it was rich, my friends, rich!"
Oct 11, 2012 8:58 AM
Answers · 2
1
The passage is humorous because the words "well-ripened" and "seasoned" are used in an unexpected way. The words normally have a favorable connotation, meaning mature and containing proper relish (in this context).
October 11, 2012
Well, when fruits are ripe, we say that they are ready to be eaten. When we add salt to a curry, the curry tastes better( when we season curry with salt, the curry tastes better ). So, both the words refer to improve the taste, give flavor to. Finally, what the rat says is that 'the passage of time' and 'the heat of the day', made the 'leavings' taste better.
October 11, 2012
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Willow
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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