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"can't wrap my head around that" meaning?
Here goes the context:
Jill: Thanks for the advice... I guess.
Jill: Still, the thought of people hiring others to kill somebody is...
Jill: I can't wrap my head around that, and I don't want to either.
Jamie: The world can be a dark place, Jill.
Jamie is a gun-for-hire and Jill is worried that he might be hired to kill her. Then Jamie assured her that he won't do that.
My question is: does "I can't wrap my head around that" here mean "I can't accept that" or "I can't understand that"?
Can "wrap one's head around sth" mean "to accept sth"?
I'm a bit confused.
Thank you in advance.
22 de jul. de 2016 11:02
Respuestas · 5
1
It means "I don´t understand" and is a very common idiom in UK colloquial English
22 de julio de 2016
In the United States it is an idiom that has become popular... sometime within my lifetime.
It suggests _both_ "I don't understand that" and "I can't accept that." Exactly what it means depends on context.
The indirect language is a way of being somewhat polite or tentative. It is saying "I am stupid" rather than "You are unclear" or "You are wrong."
I think the closest "translation" into plain language is "I can't follow that line of reasoning." In your example, she doesn't accept that line of reasoning because she doesn't like where it leads."
Some possible examples of use.
"So, when interest rates rise, bond values fall."
"That's been explained to me dozens of times but I still can't wrap my head around it."
That would simply mean "it's really hard for me to understand."
"So, paradoxically, raising the minimum wage would actually make things worse for low-wage workers, because employers wouldn't be able to afford to hire them."
"Sorry, I've heard that before but I can't wrap my head around that."
That probably means "I think I do understand the arguments for not raising the minimum wage, but I don't think they are valid."
22 de julio de 2016
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zuotengdazuo
Competencias lingüísticas
Chino (mandarín), Inglés, Japonés
Idioma de aprendizaje
Inglés, Japonés
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