Nikita
Somebody in this joint's got to lack the restraint to keep their mouth shut. Hello. In an American video game there are two gang clubs opposing each other, Camarilla and Anarchs. The protagonist is from the Camarilla but he did something good for the Anarchs. The zealous Anarch girl that asked you for help: You know, you just may have an Anarch soul. I'll let you chew on that. Some of the boys might have overheard our conversation and gotten the impression I've gone soft. Somebody in this joint's got to lack the restraint to keep their mouth shut. I don't understand her last sentence. Could you tell me what she means by "Somebody in this joint's got to lack the restraint to keep their mouth shut."? Thank you.
6 de mar de 2020 13:59
Respostas · 5
has got to - it must happen, it must be so. . Someone's got to be going to answer this as an answer rather than a comment, so it can drop off the radar. :)
7 de março de 2020
Nice and clear. Thank you, John!
6 de março de 2020
Nikita, the “got” implies “extremely high probability.” Paraphrased, “I don’t know for sure that somebody will talk, but knowing human nature it is practically certain that somebody in the joint will talk.” Without the “got,” it would sound like the speaker somehow knows that a particular person in the the joint would talk. Another example, suppose a crime happens in a crowded place. “Somebody’s got to have seen what happened” means “Because it was so crowded, the chances are really high that somebody saw what happened.” In contrast, “Somebody saw what happened” would be a factual statement that a person did see.
6 de março de 2020
I see. Yes, I find your explanation very helpful, Jay mobarak. However,, could you tell me the (subtle?) difference between "Somebody in this joint'S GOT to lack the restraint to keep their mouth shut." and "Somebody in this joint LACKS the restraint to keep their mouth shut.", please? The latter seems to be a better choice to me. What does "has got" imply here?
6 de março de 2020
it is the same as saying "someone in this place does not have the ability to keep from speaking" or to say "someone speaks when they should not" restraint is being able to control ones self. to lack the restraint to keep your mouth shut means that you speak when you should not. so in this context it means that someone was saying things that they should not have been saying. i hope this helps.
6 de março de 2020
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