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In Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, we have this passage:

MRS. CONNAGE: The poor boy looks so miserable every time he comes.

ROSALIND: That was one of those romantic, pre-battle affairs. They’re all wrong.

MRS. CONNAGE: (Her say said) At any rate, make us proud of you to-night.

I have no idea what "her say said" is supposed to mean. It doesn't even seem grammatical.

2 Answers 2

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Here "Her say" means "what she had/wanted to say" (see Merriam-Webster definition 1 for as a noun), which has been "said" (used as past tense of "say"), as she has just spoken it in her last line. An expanded form would thus be "(Having said what she wanted to already)".

Since she's finished saying what she wanted to on this subject, she shifts topic and starts to wrap up the conversation with "At any rate..."

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It is describing the speaker. She had "her say", something she wanted to bring up, and now it has been said. Something like

  • her drink drunk
  • her words spoken

That's all.

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