Выбрать из множества учителей по предмету английский...
Sergey
"They're gonna come here guns a-blazing" What is "a-blazing"?
Hello!
I've seen this sentence in a movie (in captions): "They're gonna come here guns a-blazing". I was wondering if "a-blazing" is just short for "all blazing"? Not the first time I see words with "a-" but can't remember any other examples.
Thank you!
15 июля 2019 г., 3:21
Ответы · 5
3
"guns-a-blazing" is just saying "guns blazing" with a heavy and old fashioned Tennessee accent. Take this scene from Sargent York for example...
https://youtu.be/N7lzNAj_hcY?t=3675
This Tennessee accent adds "a" to the front of many words.
"was-a-figurin"
"ain't nobody-a-holdin ya"
"Nate was-a-thinkin"
"I'm-a-askin' you for the job"
"I was-a-buyin' that land just to spite you"
15 июля 2019 г.
3
It originated from "guns all blazing", but it's idiomatic meaning is a little different.
When you say 'guns a-blazing' you are injecting a little humour (rightly or wrongly) or sarcasm into a situation where guns are being fired almost comicly in a repeated,noisy, and somewhat haphazard (not accurate) fashion - Similar to a western movie where a gunslinger comes out and fires repeatedly and noisily at someone in the street.
If you said 'guns all blazing' there is no obvious injection of humor. So while 'guns a-blazing' has it's origins in 'guns all blazing' the expressions say different things.
15 июля 2019 г.
Все еще не нашли ответы?
Напишите свои вопросы, и пусть вам помогут носители языка!
Sergey
Языковые навыки
английский, русский
Изучаемый язык
английский
Статьи, которые тебе могут быть интересны

Santa, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas? How Christmas Varies Across English-Speaking Countries
5 нравится · 4 Комментариев

Reflecting on Your Progress: Year-End Language Journal Prompts
4 нравится · 2 Комментариев

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
25 нравится · 18 Комментариев
Еще статьи
