Questions tagged [father-brown]
Questions about the series of 53 short stories by G. K. Chesterton featuring Father Brown, an English Catholic priest and detective. Use with [g-k-chesterton] and [short-stories]
28
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In The Blue Cross, what is the mailbag trick?
From the Father Brown story "The Blue Cross":
It was he who had kept up an unaccountable and close correspondence with a young lady whose whole letter-bag was intercepted, by the ...
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3
votes
2
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525
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What does "at all" mean in "The Vampire of the Village"?
In "The Vampire of the Village" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was talking about an old parson and his son, saying:
‘I mean,’ said Father Brown, ‘that the son still speaks of his father ...
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3
votes
1
answer
54
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What does "follow him even in thought" mean in "The Vampire of the Village"?
In "The Vampire of the Village" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing Father Brown while visiting some persons, saying:
The conversation of Miss Carstairs-Carew, on whom he called ...
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3
votes
2
answers
86
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What's meant by "It would be almost irregular, if the clergyman’s son were quite regular"?
In "The Vampire of the Village" by G. K. Chesterton, Dr. Mulborough was talking to Father Brown about a Great Scandal in their village, while they were going to a village by a train, saying:
...
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1
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84
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What's meant here by "[the heresies] are actually unconscious?
In "The Crime of The Communist" by G. K. Chesterton, there is a conversation between many persons about the communism:
‘Well, you’re all very down on Communism, of course,’ said the Master, ...
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4
votes
2
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388
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Does "entertain about" mean "distract about" or "entertain because"?
In "The Quick One" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was talking to his friend about a murder that happened in the hotel lounge after a very serious altercation between two men because of ...
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2
votes
1
answer
98
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What's meant here by "Don't mention it"?
In "The Quick One" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was talking to his friend, saying:
Didn’t you see how that old man, with the heart of a lion, stood up and forgave his enemy as only ...
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11
votes
1
answer
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Do clergymen usually use spades?
In "The Quick One" in The Scandal of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing two strange men entered a hotel with beach, saying:
Two quaintly assorted figures did, ...
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5
votes
2
answers
141
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Does the title of "Marquis" change the name of its holder?
In "The Chief Mourner of Marne" in The Secret of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton, the main character was named James Mair, and his cousin was named Maurice Mair; the author said that after ...
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5
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210
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What's meant here by " his serving as second proves very little about what he thought of the quarrel"?
In "The Chief Mourner of Marne" by G. K. Chesterton, Mr. Outram was talking to Father Brown about an old duel between Mr. James Mair, whose second was Mr. Outram himself, and his cousin ...
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8
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2
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459
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Meaning of "the humility of a charge" in "The Chief Mourner of Marne"?
In "The Chief Mourner of Marne" by G. K. Chesterton, Mr. Mallow went to Father Brown to consult him about very serious problem, but he found him sitting on the floor with a serious ...
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5
votes
1
answer
157
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Meaning of "private gentleman" in "The Worst Crime in the World"?
In "The Worst Crime in the World" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown and his friend, a lawyer, was talking to a rich old man who has lived alone in a castle for a long time, and who has just ...
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3
votes
1
answer
94
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Who are "we" in "The Worst Crime in the World"?
In "The Worst Crime in the World" by G. K. Chesterton, a lawyer was talking to Father Brown:
“I must apologize for everything I said about the Captain,” he said to the priest as they drifted ...
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5
votes
1
answer
91
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Who is "the man in Dickens" in "The Worst Crime in the World"?
In "The Worst Crime in the World" by G. K. Chesterton, a solicitor was talking to Father Brown about Captain Musgrave whose old father was living in an old castle:
“This young Musgrave,” he ...
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8
votes
2
answers
753
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Meaning of "interrupted spirals, inverted cones and broken cylinders" in "The Worst Crime in the World"?
In "The Worst Crime in the World" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was saying in its beginning:
FATHER BROWN was wandering through a picture gallery with an expression that suggested that he had ...
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3
votes
1
answer
108
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How can he be "so shabbily dressed" and "must have been a millionaire"?
In "The Song of the Flying Fish" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing a group of neighbours, a collector, a priest, a biologist, a bank manager and a traveller, that usually got together in ...
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1
vote
1
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74
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Does "think" mean "think about" or "think by" in "The Secret of Father Brown"?
In "The Secret of Father Brown" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was saying that he prefers studying the murder from inside not outside:
I don’t try to get outside the man. I try to get inside ...
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5
votes
2
answers
136
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Meaning of "ethical fellowship" in "The Secret of Father Brown"?
In "The Secret of Father Brown" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown said:
If you try to talk about a truth that’s merely moral, people always think it’s merely metaphorical. A real live man with two ...
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4
votes
1
answer
119
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What connects "dripping with gore" and Buddhism & Christianity in "The Dagger with Wings"?
In "The Dagger with Wings" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was explaining some philosophical aspects of the murderer, saying:
It was his whole game with me to be as idealistic as possible; and ...
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3
votes
1
answer
108
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What's meant by "all things return" in "The Dagger with Wings"?
In "The Dagger with Wings" by G. K. Chesterton, Mr Aylmer was talking to Father Brown, trying to convince him by mesmerism
Don’t you feel in your heart that these contradictions do not really ...
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4
votes
2
answers
158
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What's meant by "in the symbol of windows and of doors" in "The Dagger with Wings"?
In "The Dagger with Wings" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing a situation where Father Brown was sitting in a central room with a staircase leading up from it on one side and a door ...
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7
votes
1
answer
618
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What is "negative" and "positive whiteness" in "The Dagger with Wings"?
In "The Dagger with Wings" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing the falling of snow,that appeared through a barely opened door, saying:
What he had seen shining through the crack was not ...
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3
votes
1
answer
127
views
What would Mr Aylmer resent in "The Dagger with Wings"?
In "The Dagger with Wings" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown went to someone, Mr Aylmer, who was asking for protection against another one who wants to kill him, but the priest wasn't sure ...
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2
votes
2
answers
201
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Why both "noticed" and "thought noticeable" in "The Oracle of the Dog"?
In "The Oracle of the Dog" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was talking about someone, saying:
"To be found with a weapon, let alone a blood-stained weapon, would be fatal in the search that was ...
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5
votes
1
answer
133
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Meaning of "vision of the world’s desire" in "The Oracle of the Dog"
(Spoilers for the solution to "The Oracle of the Dog".)
In "The Oracle of the Dog" by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown was talking about
Brown said (emphasis added),
It is the megalomania of the ...
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4
votes
1
answer
69
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What does "after something had really happened" mean in this G. K. Chesterton story?
In "The Oracle of the Dog" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was talking about a secretary of a murdered colonel, who was very active and always doing everybody’s work, saying (emphasis added):
"It ...
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5
votes
1
answer
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What does "in the way of business" mean in "The Oracle of the Dog" by G. K. Chesterton?
In "The Oracle of the Dog" by G. K. Chesterton, the daughter of a murdered rich colonel was talking about her husband, a nobleman and skilled surgeon, who wanted to challenge the secretary to a duel, ...
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3
votes
2
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386
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Meaning of "spelt backwards" in "The Oracle of the Dog"
The story "The Oracle of the Dog" by G. K. Chesterton begins like this:
“YES,” said Father Brown, “I always like a dog, so long as he isn’t spelt backwards.”
What is meant by "so long as he isn’t ...
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