Meaning & Analysis
He keeps at least forty feet away from him; he deliberately avoids any close contact or association.
Insights
Deliberate Avoidance
The proverb indicates a strong desire to avoid someone, whether out of distrust, dislike, or fear of contamination—social, moral, or otherwise.
Social Distance
It also implies emotional or social distance, signaling clear boundaries or rejection of intimacy, alliance, or engagement.
Historical Symbolism
The use of a large, specific measurement ('forty foot') dramatizes the extent of aversion, much as the modern phrase 'wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.' Physical distance stands in for psychological or social separation.
Cultural Resonance
Similar idioms appear across languages to express avoidance or repugnance—'I wouldn’t touch him with a pair of tongs'—emphasizing universal strategies of boundary-setting and exclusion.
Psychological Perspective
The proverb captures the human need for self-protection, whether from perceived threat, contamination, or negative influence. It highlights the defensive role of social and emotional distance.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The exaggerated distance ('forty foot') amplifies the sense of aversion, making the proverb vivid and memorable.
Metonymy
'Forty foot' stands for the whole concept of extreme separation, translating spatial measurement into an emotional or social register.
Ellipsis
The brevity omits the reasons for avoidance, adding emphasis to the distance itself and inviting interpretation.
Transcription
Quotations
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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