Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromichi]

Is the subject expression an idiom? What does actually mean?

Today's gratitude is owed Richard McGeough for wondering out loud to us about the various meanings of today's word.
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Hiromichi

[MrPedantic]

Hello Hiromichi

"To wonder out loud about X" is "to express your thoughts about X as those thoughts occur to you".

Thus if I study the word "parasol" all afternoon, and then present my conclusions to you in the evening, I am not "wondering out loud about the word 'parasol'".

But if you ask me an unexpected question about X, which I've never thought about before, and if I then say, "Well, I suppose Y, because Z; and perhaps DEF, because ABC; though I'm not so sure about PQR", I'm "wondering out loud".

All the best,

MrP

[MrPedantic]

PS:

The original sentence sounds a little strange to me; I would rephrase it as follows:

"(Today) we are grateful to Richard McGeough for wondering out loud to us about the various meanings of today's word."

MrP

[hiromichi]

MrPedantic, Thank you for your two comments. Now I understand. Peace
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Hiromichi