High and dry?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>: <span word="When">When</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="husband">husband</span> <span word="died">died</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="left">left</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="dry">dry</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="You">You</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="infer">infer</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="husband">husband</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="leave">leave</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lot">lot</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="money">money</span>.</p><p>“<span word="High">High</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="dry">dry</span>”, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="see">see</span>, <span word="originally">originally</span> <span word="describes">describes</span> <span word="boats">boats</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="ships">ships</span> <span word="stranded">stranded</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="beach">beach</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="come">come</span> <span word="onshore">onshore</span> <span word="during">during</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="particularly">particularly</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="tide">tide</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="instance">instance</span>. <span word="When">When</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="tide">tide</span> <span word="recedes">recedes</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="boats">boats</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="ships">ships</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="lying">lying</span> <span word="helplessly">helplessly</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sea">sea</span> <span word="floor">floor</span>. “<span word="High">High</span>” <span word="suggests">suggests</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="position">position</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="high">high</span>. <span word="Dry">Dry</span>? <span word="Waterless">Waterless</span>, <span word="of">of</span> <span word="course">course</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="situation">situation</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="boats">boats</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="ships">ships</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="nothing">nothing</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="wait">wait</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="next">next</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="tide">tide</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="nothing">nothing</span> <span word="doing">doing</span>.</p><p><span word="According">According</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Phrases">Phrases</span>.<span word="org">org</span>, <span word="this">this</span> <span word="term">term</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> ‘<span word="Ship">Ship</span> <span word="News">News</span>’ <span word="column">column</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="The">The</span> [<span word="London">London</span>] <span word="Times">Times</span>, <span word="August">August</span> 1796:</p><p>“<span word="The">The</span> <span word="Russian">Russian</span> <span word="frigate">frigate</span> <span word="Archipelago">Archipelago</span>, <span word="yesterday">yesterday</span> <span word="got">got</span> <span word="aground">aground</span> <span word="below">below</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Nore">Nore</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="water">water</span>, <span word="which">which</span>; <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="tide">tide</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="ebbed">ebbed</span>, <span word="left">left</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="nearly">nearly</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="dry">dry</span>.”</p><p><span word="Helplessness">Helplessness</span>, <span word="isolation">isolation</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="all">all</span>-<span word="round">round</span> <span word="dire">dire</span> <span word="discomfort">discomfort</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="feelings">feelings</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="sailors">sailors</span> <span word="having">having</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="type">type</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="situation">situation</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="death">death</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="husband">husband</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="described">described</span> <span word="as">as</span> “<span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="of">of</span>” <span word="leaving">leaving</span> <span word="her">her</span> “<span word="high">high</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="dry">dry</span>”, <span word="we">we</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="similarly">similarly</span> <span word="imagine">imagine</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="life">life</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="difficult">difficult</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="on">on</span>.</p><p><span word="Suppose">Suppose</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="husband">husband</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="leave">leave</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="money">money</span>, <span word="suppose">suppose</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="raise">raise</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="own">own</span>, <span word="suppose">suppose</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="permanent">permanent</span> <span word="job">job</span>, <span word="etc">etc</span>. <span word="There">There</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="sorts">sorts</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="difficulties">difficulties</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="face">face</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="fend">fend</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="on">on</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="alone">alone</span>. <span word="Anyways">Anyways</span>, “<span word="kind">kind</span> <span word="of">of</span>” <span word="suggests">suggests</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="surmises">surmises</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="probably">probably</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="far">far</span> <span word="off">off</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="true">true</span>, <span word="more">more</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="less">less</span>.</p>
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