Comments on: Drift (catch my)

By: Brendan Hareshvara Quinn

Brendan Hareshvara Quinn — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:48:41 +0000

I just found this website by chance and already love it. Language and linguistics are passions of mine, especially etymology. I happen to have studied Greek (and Latin and Sanskrit) which led me to the endlessly interesting pastime of tracking down the origins of words, concepts, and even belief-systems (comparative mythology, i guess). I would love love love to track down the citation of this usage in the Odyssey! Darrell, if you could just tell me the translation, book and line number (the line number doesn’t have to be exact b/c many translations give only vague guides to this), I would love to see what the original Greek was for the rendering of “catch my drift” . . . sure hope you “catch” this reply!! pax, b

By: Darrell Bird

Darrell Bird — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:27:44 +0000

Odysseus (as a mariner/captain)uses the phrase in Homer’s “Odyssey”, circa eighth century BC. Of course, the translation from Greek to English would date the English phrase, but it’s interesting that Homer would use that phrase (with the same meaning)in Greek centuries earlier.

By: Elizabeth Lightwood

Elizabeth Lightwood — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:54:41 +0000

In Hamlet, II.i.43, Polonius says to Reynaldo, “Marry, sir, here’s my drift,” before clarifying, insofar as Polonius ever clarifies anything, how exactly Reynaldo should spy on Laertes.