What does “out of nerves” mean in this context?
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... Hermione had been right; Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Harry slightly overdid his out of nerves and Ron, who was partnering him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the charm himself. ...
I don't quite get what "out of nerves" means in this context. I've looked it up and it doesn't seem to be a set phrase. I guess it could mean "Harry is nervous, so he slightly overdid his Cheering Charms...". But I don't know if my understanding is correct. How should we understand it here?
meaning-in-context phrase-meaning
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
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up vote
4
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... Hermione had been right; Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Harry slightly overdid his out of nerves and Ron, who was partnering him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the charm himself. ...
I don't quite get what "out of nerves" means in this context. I've looked it up and it doesn't seem to be a set phrase. I guess it could mean "Harry is nervous, so he slightly overdid his Cheering Charms...". But I don't know if my understanding is correct. How should we understand it here?
meaning-in-context phrase-meaning
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
... Hermione had been right; Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Harry slightly overdid his out of nerves and Ron, who was partnering him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the charm himself. ...
I don't quite get what "out of nerves" means in this context. I've looked it up and it doesn't seem to be a set phrase. I guess it could mean "Harry is nervous, so he slightly overdid his Cheering Charms...". But I don't know if my understanding is correct. How should we understand it here?
meaning-in-context phrase-meaning
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
... Hermione had been right; Professor Flitwick did indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Harry slightly overdid his out of nerves and Ron, who was partnering him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the charm himself. ...
I don't quite get what "out of nerves" means in this context. I've looked it up and it doesn't seem to be a set phrase. I guess it could mean "Harry is nervous, so he slightly overdid his Cheering Charms...". But I don't know if my understanding is correct. How should we understand it here?
meaning-in-context phrase-meaning
meaning-in-context phrase-meaning
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
asked Nov 26 at 11:53
dan
4,01822462
4,01822462
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
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up vote
7
down vote
accepted
The phrase out of means "because of" or "motivated by".
She said that out of jealousy.
Because he was nervous.
P.S. But I should add that it sounds strange to my ear when used of something that is not truly a motive (fear, envy, jealousy, love, respect, anger, concern, etc).
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
6
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
2
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
The phrase out of means "because of" or "motivated by".
She said that out of jealousy.
Because he was nervous.
P.S. But I should add that it sounds strange to my ear when used of something that is not truly a motive (fear, envy, jealousy, love, respect, anger, concern, etc).
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
6
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
2
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
add a comment |
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
The phrase out of means "because of" or "motivated by".
She said that out of jealousy.
Because he was nervous.
P.S. But I should add that it sounds strange to my ear when used of something that is not truly a motive (fear, envy, jealousy, love, respect, anger, concern, etc).
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
6
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
2
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
add a comment |
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
The phrase out of means "because of" or "motivated by".
She said that out of jealousy.
Because he was nervous.
P.S. But I should add that it sounds strange to my ear when used of something that is not truly a motive (fear, envy, jealousy, love, respect, anger, concern, etc).
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
The phrase out of means "because of" or "motivated by".
She said that out of jealousy.
Because he was nervous.
P.S. But I should add that it sounds strange to my ear when used of something that is not truly a motive (fear, envy, jealousy, love, respect, anger, concern, etc).
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
edited Nov 26 at 12:22
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
answered Nov 26 at 12:14
Tᴚoɯɐuo
105k677169
105k677169
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
6
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
2
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
add a comment |
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
6
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
2
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
I understand why @dan is confused, because I am too. Shouldn't it be "out of nerve", being nerve uncountable, to mean that Harry was nervous? Could it mean also that a sort of "no worries" spell, being "out of nerves" a kind of charm, was casted on Ron and it went wrong?
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 12:46
6
6
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
@RubioRic: nerve in the singular means audacity whereas nerves in the plural refers to "the jitters", the shaky and insecure feeling of nervousness.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
Nov 26 at 12:50
2
2
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@RubioRic The expression is you're getting on my nerves. (Although some people turn it into a joke and say you're getting on my last nerve.) Also, we refer to people as having a case of the nerves (not a case of the nerve). In general, expressions involving the word use it in a plural form. The one exception I can think of is when somebody says they are getting up their nerve to do something. But nerve is being used in a different sense in that expression.
– Jason Bassford
Nov 26 at 13:30
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
@JasonBassford Thanks both of you
– RubioRic
Nov 26 at 13:41
add a comment |
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