Wu Ting
How would you interpret “made us rack out” in the context? How would you interpret “made us rack out” mentioned in the second sentence? PS: the whole story is about the afterlife. Thank you. PS: the excerpt is taken from “Kneller’s Happy Campers” written by an Israeli author, Etgar Keret. And I’m reading an English translation. the context: It was getting dark, and the lights in Gelfand’s beat-up old Chevy had been dead for a long time, so we had to stop for the night. He locked the doors from the inside and made us rack out in the car. We moved the seats back and tried to make like we were just about to zonk out. Once in a while, Uzi even went through the whole toss-and-turn routine. It was really pathetic. After an hour, even he had had enough. He pulled the seat back up and said: “C’mon, let’s go find a bar.” “What about the Arabs?” “Screw the Arabs,” he said. “If worst comes to worst, we’ll let ’em have it. Like in the army.” “You were never in the army,” I reminded him. “You were section eight, which kinda figures.” “Same difference.” Uzi got out of the Chevy and slammed the door. “I saw how they do it on TV.”
Nov 5, 2019 7:33 AM
Answers · 4
1
I believe "rack" is military slang for a bed so in this case they are going to sleep in the car.
November 5, 2019
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November 5, 2019
Thank you.
November 5, 2019
I think it is American urban slang for when people are "semi-homeless" living in your car/sleeping in your car is "racking out" another clue that it is urban slang is that he says "you were section 8, which kinda figures" section 8 is free urban housing for people in poverty in major US cities. Hope this helps!
November 5, 2019
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