2. Explain the meaning of the underlined parts of sentences by paraphrasing and commenting on them.

a) ‘Hold your horses,’ Giles said.

THERE WAS A firm rap on the front door. Giles checked his watch: 7.20 p.m. Who could it possibly be? He hadn’t invited anyone for dinner, and he wasn’t expected back at the House to hear the closing speeches until nine. A second rap, equally firm, and he remembered it was the housekeeper’s night off. He placed yesterday’s copy of Hansard on the side table, pushed himself up out of his chair and was heading towards the corridor when there was a third rap. ‘Hold your horses,’ Giles said. He pulled open the door to find the last person he would have expected standing on his doorstep in Smith Square. ‘Grace?’ he said, unable to mask his surprise. ‘It’s a relief to discover you still remember my name,’ said his sister as she stepped inside.

b) Giles tried to think of an equally sharp rejoinder, but as he hadn’t been in touch with his sister since the day of his mother’s funeral, he had to accept that her barbed remark was justified.

Giles tried to think of an equally sharp rejoinder, but as he hadn’t been in touch with his sister since the day of his mother’s funeral, he had to accept that her barbed remark was justified. In truth, he hadn’t been in contact with any of the family since Virginia had stormed out of the courtroom and left him standing on the pavement outside. ‘What brings you to London, Grace?’ he asked rather feebly, as he led his sister down the corridor and into the drawing room.

c) ‘You,’ she replied. ‘If Mohammed, etcetera.’

d) ‘And what did you have in mind?’ Giles felt he was still on the back foot.

e) This stupid feud has gone on long enough, which is why I intend to bang all your heads together before it’s too late.’

f) ‘That’s below the belt,’ said Giles as he took another large gulp of whisky.

g) It brought back memories of his time at Oxford, cut short by Herr Hitler.

h) … and he couldn’t resist the challenge of sparring for a place on the green benches of the House of Commons.

i) Where indeed, thought Giles, as he looked at the young girl he adored, not quite a swan, but no longer a cygnet.

j) How right Betjeman was, and this wasn’t even a desert island.

k) She’s the daughter of a Welsh miner, up from the valleys, as she likes to remind everyone, and she certainly knows the meaning of compos mentis.’

l) After months of not making any contact with him, she’d rung him out of the blue to tell him why she wanted a divorce.

m) So the headmaster turned a blind eye, which made it possible for Barrington to go to Oxford.’

n) ‘Over my dead body.’

o) Most of us felt some sympathy for him when he decided to take “the Brighton route”, especially after he let it be known, rather ungraciously in my opinion, that he did so to protect his wife’s reputation.

p) He didn’t believe Fisher was capable of changing his spots.

q) ‘Do you think the public might still have the fate of the Titanic fixed indelibly in their subconscious, making them wary of sailing on a new luxury liner?’ asked Fisher.

r) Fisher felt that at that moment Simpson had the edge over his preferred candidate.

s) He planned to humiliate Barrington publicly, in the glare of a general election campaign…

t) Dunnett might need a helping hand if Simpson was to be derailed.