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Chloe Lin
What does 'trade for' mean here? Help me with this sentence plz!
I've read an article on the Washington Post on the subject of Thanksgiving. But I cannot figure out what 'trade for' means in the following sentence.
"None of the children or grandchildren in the family would have traded the matriarch in the portrait for a brain surgeon, a Wall Street titan or Supreme Court justice, as impressive as those professions and trades may be."
My guess is that 'trade for' here means 'to picture someone in the image of', but that doesn't fit into any explanation in the dictionary.
Please help me out!
And thank you in advance for offering your help!
This is the original article, in case you need any context.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/21/surviving-tribal-politics-in-the-season-of-thanksg/
2 de dic. de 2018 1:11
Respuestas · 4
2
It is the normal meaning of 'trade' - to exchange, or swap.
They would not want a doctor/banker/judge. They wanted their mother/grandmother.
They would not have swapped her for any of the suggested alternatives.
2 de diciembre de 2018
It means they loved the "matriarch in the portrait" who I assume is their mom, more than they loved the idea of those other things. They wanted to have their mom, not a surgeon, not a Wall Street guy, not a politician.
You would trade your money for food (give money and get food), you would trade your time for money (work so you get paid), but you wouldn't trade your mom for anything (give her away and get a surgeon in return).
2 de diciembre de 2018
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Chloe Lin
Competencias lingüísticas
Chino (mandarín), Inglés, Francés, Japonés
Idioma de aprendizaje
Inglés, Francés, Japonés
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