Guest guest Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 This phrase occasionally appears in BBT books, 'coil' being used for 'body.' Is it an acceptable usage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 At 06:22 PM 8/6/2005 +0200, you wrote: >This phrase occasionally appears in BBT books, 'coil' being used for 'body.' >Is it an acceptable usage? Nope. This is a good one for the style sheet. In OED we find for coil (2) 1. Noisy disturbance, 'row'; 'tumult, turmoil, bustle, stir, hurry, confusion' (J.). Then under coil (2) 4. b we find mortal coil: the bustle or turmoil of this mortal life. A Shaksperian expression which has become a current phrase. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iii. i. 67 What dreames may come, When we haue shufflel'd off this mortall coile, Must giue vs pawse. It simply means to end the hustle and bustle of daily life. In Shakespeare, it means to sleep. The phrase is used once in Srila Prabhupada's books (and numerous times elsewhere) to mean die: While gazing on His countenance, this crest jewel of Diti's sons has cast off his mortal coil. >>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 3.19.28 The skrt here is tanum utsasarja. He gave up his body. "cast off his mortal coil" is not equivalent. Your servant, Dravida dasa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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