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The meaning of 'carry' in a novel

British English phrase “dot and carry one”What does this sentence mean? (Context: S. Fitzgerald's novel Tender is the Night)What does “on the stricken” mean in this passage from The Hobbit?“Tote” vs. “carry” in AEWhat's the pun in this “Julius Caesar” reference?What does “carry away” mean in the following passage?Question about a sentence from the novel “Possession”Film script for/from the novelQuestion about a sentence from the novel “The Death of the Heart”Meaning of a sentence from the novel, “It”Meaning of a sentence from the novel The Invisible Man

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6

1

Consider:

‘Why what else are you?’ returned John, looking down upon her with a smile, and giving her waist as light a squeeze as his huge hand and arm could give. ‘A dot and’—here he glanced at the baby—‘a dot and carry—I won’t say it, for fear I should spoil it; but I was very near a joke. I don’t know as ever I was nearer.’

What does 'a dot and carry' mean in this context?

word-choice meaning-in-context

share|improve this question

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Welcome to ELU, saehee. I may be way out here, but the 'carry—' may show an ellipsis as well as a dash, so 'a dot and carry-cot'. Not very near a joke, but 'a dot and dash' seems even further away, and I can't think of many other possible continuations or collocations.
  
  – Edwin Ashworth
  May 25 at 13:36
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Possible duplicate of British English phrase "dot and carry one"
  
  – Mari-Lou A
  May 26 at 6:32
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

6

1

Consider:

‘Why what else are you?’ returned John, looking down upon her with a smile, and giving her waist as light a squeeze as his huge hand and arm could give. ‘A dot and’—here he glanced at the baby—‘a dot and carry—I won’t say it, for fear I should spoil it; but I was very near a joke. I don’t know as ever I was nearer.’

What does 'a dot and carry' mean in this context?

word-choice meaning-in-context

share|improve this question

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Welcome to ELU, saehee. I may be way out here, but the 'carry—' may show an ellipsis as well as a dash, so 'a dot and carry-cot'. Not very near a joke, but 'a dot and dash' seems even further away, and I can't think of many other possible continuations or collocations.
  
  – Edwin Ashworth
  May 25 at 13:36
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Possible duplicate of British English phrase "dot and carry one"
  
  – Mari-Lou A
  May 26 at 6:32
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Consider:

‘Why what else are you?’ returned John, looking down upon her with a smile, and giving her waist as light a squeeze as his huge hand and arm could give. ‘A dot and’—here he glanced at the baby—‘a dot and carry—I won’t say it, for fear I should spoil it; but I was very near a joke. I don’t know as ever I was nearer.’

What does 'a dot and carry' mean in this context?

word-choice meaning-in-context

share|improve this question

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

share|improve this question

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

share|improve this question

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

edited May 26 at 13:18

Peter Mortensen

2,52162636

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

asked May 25 at 13:26

saeheesaehee

311

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

15

"Dot and carry" is a fixed phrase common in British English in the 19th century, when Charles Dickens wrote "The Cricket on the Hearth". The phrase (also "dot and carry one") was a school name for a method used in some processes of elementary arithmetic (subtraction, division, and addition). When adding columns of tens, units, hundreds, etc, if the answer came to more than 10, one might write down the second digit and write a dot or dots to signify the figure to be 'carried' to the next column (one dot for 1, two dots for 2, etc). Dot is also a woman's name, a shortening of Dorothy. John is making a joke, as he says, based on his wife's name.

share|improve this answer

edited May 25 at 19:06

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.
  
  – BoldBen
  May 26 at 0:16
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @BoldBen You should check your link then post this as an answer.
  
  – David Robinson
  May 26 at 0:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you can post some supporting evidence that would be of enormous help.
  
  – Mari-Lou A
  May 26 at 6:35
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I am fairly sure that the 'limping gait' usage derives from the arithmetic one. One good step, followed by a 'carry' (a dragging step). I also think, although this is, of course opinion, that the 'dot and carry' joke is to do with Dot carrying the baby
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 26 at 13:45
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Well, a baby is surely an "addition" to a family.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 27 at 13:46
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 3 more comments

-1

Following David Robinson's suggestion I'm converting the following comment into an answer.

As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.

share|improve this answer

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  ""Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method". The story was written in 1845.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 27 at 14:04
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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15

"Dot and carry" is a fixed phrase common in British English in the 19th century, when Charles Dickens wrote "The Cricket on the Hearth". The phrase (also "dot and carry one") was a school name for a method used in some processes of elementary arithmetic (subtraction, division, and addition). When adding columns of tens, units, hundreds, etc, if the answer came to more than 10, one might write down the second digit and write a dot or dots to signify the figure to be 'carried' to the next column (one dot for 1, two dots for 2, etc). Dot is also a woman's name, a shortening of Dorothy. John is making a joke, as he says, based on his wife's name.

share|improve this answer

edited May 25 at 19:06

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.
  
  – BoldBen
  May 26 at 0:16
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @BoldBen You should check your link then post this as an answer.
  
  – David Robinson
  May 26 at 0:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you can post some supporting evidence that would be of enormous help.
  
  – Mari-Lou A
  May 26 at 6:35
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I am fairly sure that the 'limping gait' usage derives from the arithmetic one. One good step, followed by a 'carry' (a dragging step). I also think, although this is, of course opinion, that the 'dot and carry' joke is to do with Dot carrying the baby
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 26 at 13:45
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Well, a baby is surely an "addition" to a family.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 27 at 13:46
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 3 more comments

15

"Dot and carry" is a fixed phrase common in British English in the 19th century, when Charles Dickens wrote "The Cricket on the Hearth". The phrase (also "dot and carry one") was a school name for a method used in some processes of elementary arithmetic (subtraction, division, and addition). When adding columns of tens, units, hundreds, etc, if the answer came to more than 10, one might write down the second digit and write a dot or dots to signify the figure to be 'carried' to the next column (one dot for 1, two dots for 2, etc). Dot is also a woman's name, a shortening of Dorothy. John is making a joke, as he says, based on his wife's name.

share|improve this answer

edited May 25 at 19:06

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.
  
  – BoldBen
  May 26 at 0:16
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @BoldBen You should check your link then post this as an answer.
  
  – David Robinson
  May 26 at 0:33
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you can post some supporting evidence that would be of enormous help.
  
  – Mari-Lou A
  May 26 at 6:35
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I am fairly sure that the 'limping gait' usage derives from the arithmetic one. One good step, followed by a 'carry' (a dragging step). I also think, although this is, of course opinion, that the 'dot and carry' joke is to do with Dot carrying the baby
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 26 at 13:45
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Well, a baby is surely an "addition" to a family.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 27 at 13:46
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 3 more comments

"Dot and carry" is a fixed phrase common in British English in the 19th century, when Charles Dickens wrote "The Cricket on the Hearth". The phrase (also "dot and carry one") was a school name for a method used in some processes of elementary arithmetic (subtraction, division, and addition). When adding columns of tens, units, hundreds, etc, if the answer came to more than 10, one might write down the second digit and write a dot or dots to signify the figure to be 'carried' to the next column (one dot for 1, two dots for 2, etc). Dot is also a woman's name, a shortening of Dorothy. John is making a joke, as he says, based on his wife's name.

share|improve this answer

edited May 25 at 19:06

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

share|improve this answer

edited May 25 at 19:06

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

answered May 25 at 16:22

Michael HarveyMichael Harvey

7,57211321

-1

Following David Robinson's suggestion I'm converting the following comment into an answer.

As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.

share|improve this answer

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  ""Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method". The story was written in 1845.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 27 at 14:04
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

-1

Following David Robinson's suggestion I'm converting the following comment into an answer.

As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.

share|improve this answer

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  ""Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method". The story was written in 1845.
  
  – Michael Harvey
  May 27 at 14:04
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Following David Robinson's suggestion I'm converting the following comment into an answer.

As shown in this discussion "Dot and carry one" was, up until the 1950s at least, a common way of describing the gait of someone with a limp. The term survived longer than the arithmetic teaching method and is, I suspect, the phrase being parodied in the exerpt.

share|improve this answer

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324

share|improve this answer

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324

answered May 27 at 12:50

BoldBenBoldBen

7,8381324