Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
cannot make the least sacrifice of ... humor
English answer:
refuse to change their mood
Added to glossary by
Ana Juliá
Aug 2, 2004 08:51
19 yrs ago
English term
cannot make the least sacrifice of ... humor
English
Art/Literary
Religion
Commentary on Proverbs
It is an evidence no less clear of love of contention when persons seize every opportunity for beginning a quarrel, and cannot make the least sacrifice of self-will, or interest, or humor, for the sake of peace.
I understand what is meant by "make the least sacrifice of self-will and of interest", but what is meant here by "make the least sacrifice of humor"?
I understand what is meant by "make the least sacrifice of self-will and of interest", but what is meant here by "make the least sacrifice of humor"?
Responses
Responses
+7
35 mins
Selected
refuse to change their mood
Your text is clearly quite an old one, so humour is being used in the sense of "mood", rather than in the more modern sense of being light-hearted or witty. I think it is saying that if people are being bad tempered, angry or whatever, they obstinately persist in staying this way (staying in this humour or mood) rather than making an effort to change (as others have said) for the sake of peace.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "thanks!"
+2
6 mins
make an effort
The sacrifice, imnsho, is in doing something contrary to their own nature. They are quarrelsome and just will give in to it. HTH
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Kevin Pfeiffer (X)
: "will not make the effort to do something contrary to their own nature" // Sorry, changing my mind - I think that "contrary to one's own nature" is perhaps more than a "least sacrifice".
18 mins
|
agree |
DGK T-I
: to Kevin: yes, but here "least sacrifice of humour",etc doesn't mean that the sacrifice is small(the least/easiest kind of sacrifice) but that the person is making the sacrifice (or not) at least to a small extent
12 hrs
|
agree |
Jörgen Slet
14 hrs
|
+3
21 mins
cannot allow their own temperament or state of mind to yield to or be influenced by someone else's
"I'm not in the mood and don't plan to change any time soon."
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Note added at 22 mins (2004-08-02 09:13:39 GMT)
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(of course I ignored the \"least sacrifice\" part here as that didn\'t seem to be in question)
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Note added at 22 mins (2004-08-02 09:13:39 GMT)
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(of course I ignored the \"least sacrifice\" part here as that didn\'t seem to be in question)
+1
41 mins
Cannot make the least sacrifice of ...mood or temperament
The word 'humour' may not mean amusement here. The other meanings of humour [Humor] are mood, a sudden, unpredictable, or unreasoning inclination etc. Hope this helps :-)
Reference:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=humor&x=17&y=15
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=38448&dict=CALD
1 hr
renunciar mínimamente (hacer el más mínimo sacrificio) ... o satisfacción personal
.
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