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114 |
HUMPTY DUMPTY |
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"And 'the wabe' is the grass-plot round a sundial, I suppose ? " said Alice, surprised at her own ingenuity.
" Of course it is. It's called ' wabe,' you know, because it goes a long way before it, and a long way behind it------"
" And a long way beyond it on each side," Alice added.
"Exactly so. Well then, 'mimsy' is 'flimsy and miserable ' (there's another portmanteau for you). And a ' borogove' is a thin shabby-looking
bird with its feathers sticking out all round------
something like a live mop."
" And then 'mome raths'f" said Alice. "I'm afraid I'm giving you a great deal of trouble."
"Well, a 'rath1 is a sort of green pig: but ' mome' I'm not certain about. I think it's short
for ' from home '------meaning that they'd lost their •
way, you know."
" And what does ' outgrabe' mean ? "
"Well, 'outgribing' is something between bellowing and whistling, with a kind of sneeze in the
middle: however, you'll hear it done, maybe------
down in the wood yonder------and when you've
once heard it you'll be quite content. Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you ? "'
" I read it in a book," said Alice. " But I had |
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