Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
draw back the better to leap
English answer:
To leap better, draw back first
Added to glossary by
Jason Ma
Mar 12, 2008 14:15
16 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term
draw back the better to leap
English
Social Sciences
Poetry & Literature
There are many reasons to have a holiday. Reculer pour mieux sauter, say the French: draw back the better to leap. We may want nothing but relaxation and rest. But as Sherlock Holmes knew, the best form of R&R is to do something different: a change is as good as a rest, if not better; and the best kind of change is to enter another world.
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
Responses
+10
3 mins
Selected
take a step back in order to leap better
That is, taking time off work enables you to come back to work fresher and able to perform better.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Adele Oliveri
: :-)
0 min
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| agree |
Vicky Nash
12 mins
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| agree |
Gary D
: To have a rest to enable you to leap, jump further into your work when you have regained your energy.
21 mins
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| agree |
d_vachliot (X)
45 mins
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| agree |
kmtext
1 hr
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| agree |
Mihaela Ghiuzeli
: Nice and clear.
5 hrs
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| agree |
Phong Le
11 hrs
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| agree |
orientalhorizon
: seems "draw back first, to leap the better", or "To leap better, draw back first".
16 hrs
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| agree |
Cristina Santos
1 day 1 hr
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| agree |
V_Nedkov
6 days
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks everyone."
+1
3 mins
jccantrell
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Was nicht ist, kann noch werden.
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
44
go back a bit to get a running start
How I would understand this. Like you were going to jump over something (a puddle, perhaps) that you need to be moving faster to overcome. I guess they are saying that a bit of rest prepares you better for the coming trials and tribulations.
Hope that was what you were looking for.
Hope that was what you were looking for.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, jccantrell. |
+1
5 mins
Paul Merriam
Native in English
&
English
Years of experience
Native in: English
Works in: Russian to English, Polish to English, German to English, and 1 more.
fall back and regroup
Extending the analogy, if you're going to jump across a chasm, it's nice to have a running start. More importantly, you need to draw back so you can see where you're going. So having a holiday gives you time to make decisions about where to go next rather than merely plowing blindly ahead.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Paul. |
3 hrs
withdraw to create a platform to drive forward
recoil, regroup,step back, draw back,retreat
advance,restart,surge forward,drive forward, move on
advance,restart,surge forward,drive forward, move on
Note from asker:
| Thanks, I will add your explanation to my vocabulary colletion. |
Discussion
I know little French. Is **draw back the better to leap** a word-for-word translation from French? Thanks.