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tragedy around the bend
"When we're coming up to the end of the road
So what do we do then With tragedy around the bend?" What does "around the bend" mean? Does it mean "around the corner" meaning close?
Thnx Brennus. I got that excerpt off a song too.
But lemme make sure I got it right. Since fall semester starts in August, can I say, "with the semester around the bend, I think you should start purchasing text books from now?" or something
The term "around the bend" or more usually "round the bend" can also mean mental instability....like "round the twist". Just to confuse you a wee bit!
Damian, I see your mission is accomplished..congrats
now could somebody answer my question before I get mad plaese?
Oh god Uriel.. always helpful when others irritatingly think they're funny
No, Damian is right - maybe the person who wrote/said this meant 'very soon' but it would be more natural to use 'around the corner.'
I would only use '(a)round the bend' to mean insane or in literal prepositional phrases of space (not time.) If you were to say 'the holidays are just around the bend' to most native English speakers I think they would be confused. <When we're coming up to the end of the road So what do we do then With tragedy around the bend?> This seems to be a very clumsy use of metaphor - it looks like bad poetry. The author/speaker has either deliberately or unwittingly echoed the (metaphorical?) use of road from the first phrase in the last phrase.
Sorry, the above was unnecessarily complicated!
'around the bend' literally means 'around the bend [of a road/pipe/railway line etc]' It is not normally used idiomatically. '(a)round the corner' can be used literally AND in idioms. In your quote it is being used ambiguously - they could mean literally around the bend [of the road] or very soon.
<<If you were to say 'the holidays are just around the bend' to most native English speakers I think they would be confused. >>
No, that's a common enough usage. "Around the bend" is usually metaphorical, not literal.
I'm sorry but I'm English, I've spent most of my life in England and I've never heard anybody use '(a)round the bend' other than to mean 'crazy,' or in its literal sense.
Dictionary.com shows the following as the only metaphorical usage: Idioms: around the bend Slang Insane; crazy. and for 'round the corner': Idiom: around the corner About to happen; imminent. I'm sure any other dictionary would corroborate this. I can't speak for North American English. |