Jessicamessica
"Well, I'm rumbling in this JCB
I'm 5 years old and my dad's a giant, sitting beside me
And the engine rattles my bum like berserk
While we're singing, ‘Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work’"
What does 'berserk' mean here?
I've found that it is an ancient Scandinavian warrior frenzied in battle and held to be invulnerable, but in the case above what do you think it means?
Thank you!
2023年2月19日 11:53
回答 · 7
2
You're right that the word comes from Old Norse. The words that come from the North are always the most colorful in English. You understand its meaning but it doesn't work in this sentence for grammatical reasons. "Berserk" is an adjective, not an adverb. An adjective cannot modify a verb. In this sentence, it is being used to modify the verb "rattle", so that is an error. It is OK, though, as an example of colloquial English.
2023年2月19日
2
I would say '. . like mad', which is what 'berserk' means. If someone 'goes berserk' they are very agitated or angry, or they are behaving in a crazy way.
I didn't know about the Viking warrior reference - it's interesting.
2023年2月19日
2
It just means it is shaking it around a lot. Could change berserk to crazy.
2023年2月19日
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