Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
so off full cry
English answer:
and they were off, barking wildly / baying
Added to glossary by
Tony M
Mar 21, 2016 16:26
8 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term
So off full cry
English
Art/Literary
Business/Commerce (general)
Whereat Hugo ran
from the house, crying to his grooms that they should
saddle his mare and unkennel the pack, and giving the
hounds a kerchief of the maid's, he swung them to the
line, and so off full cry in the moonlight over the moor.
from the house, crying to his grooms that they should
saddle his mare and unkennel the pack, and giving the
hounds a kerchief of the maid's, he swung them to the
line, and so off full cry in the moonlight over the moor.
Responses
| 3 +7 | and they were off, barking wildly / baying |
Tony M
|
| 3 +1 | chase eagerly |
Cilian O'Tuama
|
| 3 +1 | and the hounds took off at full speed |
Robert Forstag
|
| 2 +1 | yowling |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
References
| Hounds baying |
B D Finch
|
Change log
Mar 31, 2016 08:24: Tony M changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/1602337">gladbird's</a> old entry - "So off full cry"" to ""and they were off, barking wildly / baying""
Responses
+7
14 mins
Selected
and they were off, barking wildly / baying
'full cry' when appkied to dogs and crowds usually mean barking, baying, or shouting:
the pack was in full cry ( Hunting ) : toute la meute donnait de la voix
the crowd was in full cry after the thief : la foule poursuivait le voleur en criant à pleine voix
There is no 'in' in your source text, as it is only needed in the example sentences because they use 'was'.
Your author uses a deliberately truncated style, where there is no verb in the final clause, as a stylistic device which helps add excitement and tension.
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Note added at 42 minutes (2016-03-21 17:09:22 GMT)
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The original meaning of 'in full cry' referred of course to the fact that the hound etc. were making a lot of noise... the meaning has since been extended to 'in hot pursuit' because the act of shouting / barking implies the idea that they are not, for example, 'baying at leash'; however, as we have 'pack' and 'hounds', it seems to me that the notion of barking is not out of place here; note, too, that 'in hot pursuit' doesn't directly say anything about the actual speed either.
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Note added at 43 minutes (2016-03-21 17:10:21 GMT)
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I do think 'in hot pursuit' works fine here, though of course it would be very difficult if it had to be worked into the sentence as it stands; but I guess that isn't the aim anywya ;-)
the pack was in full cry ( Hunting ) : toute la meute donnait de la voix
the crowd was in full cry after the thief : la foule poursuivait le voleur en criant à pleine voix
There is no 'in' in your source text, as it is only needed in the example sentences because they use 'was'.
Your author uses a deliberately truncated style, where there is no verb in the final clause, as a stylistic device which helps add excitement and tension.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 42 minutes (2016-03-21 17:09:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The original meaning of 'in full cry' referred of course to the fact that the hound etc. were making a lot of noise... the meaning has since been extended to 'in hot pursuit' because the act of shouting / barking implies the idea that they are not, for example, 'baying at leash'; however, as we have 'pack' and 'hounds', it seems to me that the notion of barking is not out of place here; note, too, that 'in hot pursuit' doesn't directly say anything about the actual speed either.
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Note added at 43 minutes (2016-03-21 17:10:21 GMT)
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I do think 'in hot pursuit' works fine here, though of course it would be very difficult if it had to be worked into the sentence as it stands; but I guess that isn't the aim anywya ;-)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+1
11 mins
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
20
chase eagerly
full cry : eager chase — used of hounds that have caught the scent and give tongue together
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster
+1
7 mins
Robert Forstag
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United States
Translating words, preserving meaning
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
12
and the hounds took off at full speed
This seems to be the meaning of "so off full cry."
Apparently, the narrator is being pulled on a sled by a pack of hounds.
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Note added at 13 mins (2016-03-21 16:39:40 GMT)
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Erratum:
Disregard the second sentence of my explanation. As Tony M. points out correctly, the hounds are hunting dogs.
Apparently, the narrator is being pulled on a sled by a pack of hounds.
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Note added at 13 mins (2016-03-21 16:39:40 GMT)
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Erratum:
Disregard the second sentence of my explanation. As Tony M. points out correctly, the hounds are hunting dogs.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Tony M
: But no sled! these are hunting hounds, and he is riding his mare. Although the whole tenor of the text indicates they would be going at full speed, that's not actually what the expression itself means.
2 mins
|
|
Ah, yes. Thank you, Tony.
|
|
| agree |
philgoddard
: It doesn't necessarily mean that they're making a noise. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/in full cry
15 mins
|
|
Thank you, Phil.
|
+1
1 hr
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
&
English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
29
yowling
another option
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Note added at 1 hr (2016-03-21 18:12:51 GMT)
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their yowl
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Note added at 1 hr (2016-03-21 18:12:51 GMT)
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their yowl
Reference comments
1 day 1 hr
Reference:
Hounds baying
Conan Doyle seems to have liked hunting to hounds and the British countrified upper classes, at the time he was writing, would have been very familiar with the language of fox hunting and the fact that hounds in a pack bay when chasing prey. So, a pack of hounds in full cry means that they are baying and chasing, as illustrated in the extract from a poem by Conan Doyle.
Breeds of dog that are not hounds don't bay. My dog is mainly scent hound and he bays as well as barking. They are very different sounds. I've seen him chasing deer and cats (fortunately, without catching them) and he didn't bay then, but that might have been because he was the only hound involved.
" ...
And my heart, it is there,
On the heather-tufted hill,
With the gray skies o'er us,
And the long-drawn chorus
Of a running pack before us
From the find to the kill.
... "
(From "A Hunting Morning" by A Conan Doyle)
Breeds of dog that are not hounds don't bay. My dog is mainly scent hound and he bays as well as barking. They are very different sounds. I've seen him chasing deer and cats (fortunately, without catching them) and he didn't bay then, but that might have been because he was the only hound involved.
" ...
And my heart, it is there,
On the heather-tufted hill,
With the gray skies o'er us,
And the long-drawn chorus
Of a running pack before us
From the find to the kill.
... "
(From "A Hunting Morning" by A Conan Doyle)
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