Imagine an 80-year-old woman looking up from her kitchen table at her granddaughter. The grandmother's eyes are very big and the granddaughter's dress is very short. Two uncles and two other granddaughters listen while the matriarch tells the girl, in no uncertain terms, that "she better go home and put some pants on."
The girl obeys. Once she's out the door, the grandmother looks around the room. She explains her motive. "I don't want people saying things about my granddaughter." The subject is closed.
When I heard this, there was no doubt in my mind what my grandmother meant by "saying things." My guess is that all of you are equally aware of her meaning. Looking back, I'm struck by the contrast between her explicit directions and the implicit language of her explanation.
She never had to say what those "things" were that she didn't want said. We all knew.
Looking back on the warnings you've heard in your own lives, do any of you recall similar incidents of implied meaning?
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