more ramdom q's
1) "he followed suit" means "he did the same thing," right?
2) "but it was an exercise of futility" basically means "it was a waste of time," correct?
3) "Thu he was an intelligent man, he was incapable of grasping subtlety."
I looked up subtlety but I'm still a little confused as to what it means here.
4) I keep forgetting this, but what are the legs on clocks called? just legs?
1) correct
2) correct
3) I'm not sure what that means either.
4) I've always called them arms
5) binoculars
<<3) "Thu he was an intelligent man, he was incapable of grasping subtlety."
I looked up subtlety but I'm still a little confused as to what it means here.>>
Thu = Though??
A scenario:
Woman: I had a nice time. Goodnight.
Man: I'd like to see you again. How 'bout if I call you tomorrow.
Woman: Um, I'm sorry, but I won't be available tomorrow.
Man: How about Thursday?
Woman: No, my cousin's flying into town, and we've already made plans.
Man: Friday, then?
Woman: No, still with my cousin.
Man: Then I'll call you on Saturday.
Woman: I've got errands to run and so many things to do.
Man: Sunday. I'll call you on Sunday.
Woman: Look, I didn't want to be rude, but obviously you're incapable of grasping subtlety. So let me spell it out for you—I'm not interested in seeing or hearing from you again. Goodnight!
1) "he followed suit" means "he did the same thing," right?
Yes. It is a reference to card games, where the cards are divided into four suits (diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs), and some games require that a player play cards of the same suit as the previous player -- "follow suit".
2) "but it was an exercise of futility" basically means "it was a waste of time," correct?
Yes, although the phrase is actually "exercise IN futility".
3) "Thu he was an intelligent man, he was incapable of grasping subtlety."
I looked up subtlety but I'm still a little confused as to what it means here.
The usual abbreviation for "though" is "tho", not "thu".
To grasp the subtlety of something is to understand all of its minor nuances, or to be able to respond to less-than-obvious cues, or to be able to take a hint, etc. Someone who is unable to grasp the subtlety of a business negotiation, for example, might only take the offer on the table at its full face value (the money involved), without taking into account the political maneuvering or intangible benefits that certain tradeoffs might involve.
4) I keep forgetting this, but what are the legs on clocks called? just legs?
The little things that point to the hour and minute are called "hands".