Once he had tried to take his chains off, he had got them woundy around the axles. a paragraph in the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber: They're so damn cocky, thought Walter Mitty, walking alone Main Street; they think they know everyghing. Once he had tried to take his chains off, outside New Milford, and he had got them woundy around the axles. A man had to come out in a wrecking car and unwind them, a young,grinning garageman. Since then Mrs. Mitty always made him drive to a garage to have the chains taken off. The next time, he thought, I'll wear my right arm in a sling;they won't grin at me then. question: Do the "chains" here mean "tyre train"? the chains to prevent skidding, if so, what do "axles" mean here? thank you for your help and your time.

Once he had tried to take his chains off, he had got them woundy around the axles. a paragraph in the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber: They're so damn cocky, thought Walter Mitty, walking alone Main Street; they think they know everyghing. Once he had tried to take his chains off, outside New Milford, and he had got them woundy around the axles. A man had to come out in a wrecking car and unwind them, a young,grinning garageman. Since then Mrs. Mitty always made him drive to a garage to have the chains taken off. The next time, he thought, I'll wear my right arm in a sling;they won't grin at me then. question: Do the "chains" here mean "tyre train"? the chains to prevent skidding, if so, what do "axles" mean here? thank you for your help and your time.

whatb eef is "Kitfo" ? Reading something about raw beef, I know that steak tartare is French dish, Carpaccio is Italian sliced beef, and Gored gored is Ethiopia raw beef, but I have no idea what "Kitfo" is. thank you for your help and your time

as tight as ticks, "The Great Gastsby": So I stared at it, like Kant at his church steeple, for half an hour. question: what does "Kant" mean here? John Gresham "The Broker": "He and Clayburn were as tight as ticks.", question: what is the meaning of "as tight as ticks"? Thnak you for your help and your time.

each one introduced to us as Mr. Mumble "The Great Gatsby": at Gatsby's gardon party: "A tray of cocktails floated at us through the twilight, and we sat down at a table with the two girls in yellow and three men, each one introduced to us as Mr. Mumble." question: what does "each one introduced to us as Mr. Mumble" mean? does it mean sth humorous or anything? thank you for your help and your time

Can "guy" be used to refer to a female? Time magazine: Boys fall in love easily, get their hearts broken and have very mixed feelings about the hypersexualized culture in which they live; they hunger to be more open about their feelings, both with their families and with their male friends, though they exist in a culture that discourages such emotional openness; and they desperately want to maintain their social position among their guy friends, regardless of the cost to them or others. question: does "guy friends" mean "male friends" or "both male and female friends"? I read from somewhere that "guy" can only be used to refer to males, never females, is it true? thank you for your reply and your time

presided over a fraying of the nation's socialist safety net. China now faces a multitude of social woes usually seen in more-developed economies better equipped to handle these chanllenges. It is growing old before it grows rich ---- bringing about an explosion of elderly Chinese even as the government has presided over a fraying of the nation's socialist safety net. I have difficulty in understanding "has presided over a fraying of the nation's socialist safety net", especially the phrase "preside over" and the word "fraying" here. thank you for your help and your time

corporate espresso Stennett bought a round of corporate espressos. what kind of coffee is "corporate espressos" ? and what does "a round of " mean here ? thank you for your reply and your time