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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > IDIOMS
IDIOMS
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maroemma
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IDIOMS
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Hello there!
I �m teaching my students an adaptation of Alexander Dumas � "The Three Musketeers".
I came across this line "Mr de Treville was wearing a frown so fierce it could have curdled milk". Is "milk curdling" used in a similar way to "blood curdling" here?
Thank you in advance- Maria
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1 May 2011
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luglena
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hi, yes it really is
we can say curdle about MILK and BLOOD and EGGs as well, I even checked Lingvo for it to prove it we even have the word curds that stands for the thick white substance which is formed when milk turns sour, used as the basis for cheese |
1 May 2011
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maroemma
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Thank you very much dear friend!
Have a nice week at school!
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1 May 2011
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moravc
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Wow, thanks a lot! I have never heard "curdled milk" but I guessed it right.
I am happy to learn something new.
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1 May 2011
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yanogator
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Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet Eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider And sat down beside her And frightened Miss Muffet away. "Curds" means the solid part of curdled milk. Whey is the liquid part, which is drained away in the cheese-making process. In cheese-producing areas of the US, you can buy cheese curds, which are just fresh cheese that hasn �t been pressed into a block or wheel of cheese and aged. Some places sell cheese curds that are breaded and fried. Bruce |
1 May 2011
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maroemma
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Hi Bruce,
I was so looking forward to meeting you. Does it actually mean in the book that he was really really frightened? The way it is used as an idiom I mean
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1 May 2011
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yanogator
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No, not frightened. It is saying that M. de Treville had a look on his face that was so sour (unpleasant, unfriendly) that it could curdle milk. Something that is blood-curdling is very frightening, but this is different. Luglena was just answering that the physical/chemical action of curdling (coagulation) is the same for blood, milk and eggs, not that this is the same situation as, say, a blood-curdling scream, which is very frightening. In this situation, we can say that M. de Treville had the most unpleasant expression you can imagine. Clear enough? Bruce |
1 May 2011
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maroemma
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I am most grateful, Bruce. Clear as the blue sky ;)
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1 May 2011
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libertybelle
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Curdled milk looks almost like cottage cheese - it is definitely sour and forms small balls.
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2 May 2011
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Zora
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Curdled milk is basically milk that has gone bad; hence that expression... His frown was "sour, mean, not nice", it could "spoil" a happy occasion.
However, when you "curdle" milk as Bruce explained, you are making curds, a process that is similar to the cheese making one. It �s usually the step before you take the curds and pat them together to make a cheese...
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2 May 2011
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MapleLeaf
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If a a blood can be curdled, it can be drawn as well. Which will be the same petrifying effect caused by the fierce expression of Mr de Trevile.
The expression of his face was fierce enough to draw blood. :) Spooky |
2 May 2011
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