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What does "his wares of notions " mean? Samuel's father was a stooped, gray-haired man, his face worn and wrinkled, a pushcart peddler who hawked his wares of notions and trinkets and utensils through the narrow winding streets of the ghetto. What does "his wares of notions " mean?
Apr 1, 2015 5:27 AM
Answers · 6
his wares are the goods he sells. the clause, 'of notions and trinkets and utensils' gives more information about what exactly his wares are. "Notions' refers to the various little bits and pieces needed for something - for instance, I sew, and I need a lot of 'sewing notions' e.g. needles, pins, threads, scissors, tape measure etc. Actually, I am not aware of 'notions' being used in relation to anything other than sewing, but I could be wrong.
April 1, 2015
It's not "wares of notions," it's "wares of notions and trinkets and utensils." "Wares" means the things a person is selling, and "notions," "trinkets," and "utensils" are all used here to say that Samuel's father's wares are a bunch of different things. The author's word choice makes it sound like all the things Samuel's father sells are small and inexpensive, and some of them are probably useless.
April 1, 2015
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