How would you interpret the word ‘cleared’ in the context? Does it mean he lifted the strands high so that the strands became unwound from the rest macaroni in the basin which they served the macaroni by? Thanks. It’s from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Chapter 9). the context: I put thumb and fingers into the macaroni and lifted. A mass loosened. "Lift it high, Tenente." I lifted it to arm's length and the strands cleared. I lowered it into the mouth, sucked and snapped in the ends, and chewed, then took a bite of cheese, chewed, and then a drink of the wine. It tasted of rusty metal. I handed the canteen back to Passini.By the way, how would you interpret the phrase ‘snapped in the ends’? I think it means he sucked in the ends of the strands with a loud sound, right? Or does it mean he bit at the ends of the strands in order to make the strands separate from the rest macaroni?There is another passage that might make the phrase ‘sucked and snapped in the ends’ more clear: They were all eating, holding their chins close over the basin, tipping their heads back, sucking in the ends. I took another mouthful and some cheese and a rinse of wine. Something landed outside that shook the earth.I mean the word ‘cleared’ and the phrase ‘sucked and snapped in the ends’ in the third passage.