Some years ago, I came across a novel with the title A Life Full of Holes. The Moroccan novel written by Driss ben Hamed Charhadi and translated into English by Paul Bowles received some great reviews. It was described as ‘one of the most unusual literary innovations ever produced’. I was fascinated by the title. What does the phrase ‘full of holes’ in the title mean? Has the term ‘holes’ been used figuratively? These were a couple of questions for which I sought an answer.
The word ‘hole’ has different meanings. The primary meaning is ‘an opening through something’. It also has the following figurative meanings. Look at these sentences:
In the first sentence above, ‘hole’ refers to something that is missing. In the second sentence, the phrase ‘be full of holes’ means flaws or unsound explanations. If an argument, idea, logic or explanation is full of holes, it is unsound and flawed. When someone’s argument is not convincing, we say it is full of holes. Here are a few more examples of how the phrase is used in sentences:
The expression “cock-and-bull story” also means the same. When someone gives an explanation as an
excuse for having done or not done something, then we say it is a cock-and-bull story.
The terms made-up story, trumped-up story, fake news, concoction can also be used as substitutes for
‘cock-and-bull story’.
What is the meaning of the expression ‘fire in the (one’s) belly’? The idiom refers to a person’s powerful sense of ambition or determination. Look at these examples:
A similar expression to the idiom ‘fire in the belly’ is ‘to be fired up’. It means ‘to be very excited’ or ‘to be very enthusiastic’. Example:
Whenever I come across the idiom ‘fire in the belly’, I am reminded of the commonly used idiom ‘butterfly in the stomach’. When we are anxious and have a nervous feeling in our stomach, we can say that we have/get butterflies in the stomach. Look at these examples:
