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Under the glass

Posted by MichaelFr on November 29, 2003

In Reply to: Under the glass posted by pdianek on November 29, 2003

: : Hi ! (bonjour !) the French guy again !

: : I found this phrase in a novel : "that'd be OK most days but on this one you just said it yourself, we're under the glass."

: : The context is two detectives talking about their ongoing inquiry, a hot topic for broadcasters and the population, as a celebrity in town has been slain. They have like a 48 hours deadline to find the murderer, and cannot consider being distracted in any way. "this one" in the text is meant for "this case".

: : What is the meaning of "we're under the glass" ?

: : Thanks, have a nice day.

: Could mean they feel as if they're under a magnifying glass (this sounds most likely) -- that everyone else (including their bosses) is closely examining what they do/say, thus they must solve the case. In addition, anything under a magnifying glass is subject to heat, as light is focused upon it. Remember when as a child you made burned holes in dry leaves by putting them "under the glass"? So the "heat" is the pressure they feel.

: They could also be referring to themselves as resting on a slide under a microscope "glass" -- same kind of implication, that they're under scrutiny and pressure.

: Less likely: that they're under the type of glass dome used to protect and ripen fruit, at home.

Thanks to all of you.

Being "under a magnifier" makes sense.

I will probably have in a near future more questions. I am reading "The silence of the lambs", and unable at times for a few phrases to get to their real meaning.

You are welcome by the way to outline any grammar or formal mistakes that you could find in my messages. I have been ten years in the USA, but as a designer spending a lot of time in front of a screen with the same words over and over, I don't write that much, or get into discussions over serious topics. Thanks again.

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