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Chapter 89: Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish
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A thought occurred to me...My father used to use the expression "to play fast and loose", which I always took to mean (and I think he did too) to be wild. But seeing it from the perspective of this chapter, I think it really means something like to "eat your cake and have it too", or to play something both ways, or something similar.
Very interesting.
Oh, well done. That feels right. It's one of those phrases I've heard and never thought about the derivation of - and this fits perfectly. I've usually heard of it ending "play fast and loose with the rules" - it works.
That was the expression, to play fast and loose with the rules! Brava. It does work, doesn't it?
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My father used to use the expression "to play fast and loose", which I always took to mean (and I think he did too) to be wild. But seeing it from the perspective of th..."
Interesting. At some point I think I've understood the term from Melville's perspective. Perhaps from my grandparents.
I thought I had already listened to this chapter, but I'm just getting to it now... And I may be stretching it, but I wonder: particularly with the analogy of the wife cut loose by the husband, is this some part of the origin of "loose woman"? I think I am stretching.
But it's kind of fun.
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