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disappears into the basement (in this context)

English translation: goes downstairs to the basement or study or office downstairs

14:17 Apr 11, 2017
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
English term or phrase: disappears into the basement (in this context)
Hello everyone,

Hello everyone,

From the book Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer:

A work like Hug Your Haters is truly a team effort. Thank you to my family for your incredible support of this book, and of my previous publications. It’s hard when Dad goes into book-writing mode and disappears into the basement. I love you for (among many other things) understanding my occasional absences and mental distractions.

Maybe it's a very simple question but I can't believe that a writer writes his book sitting in the room that is partly underground.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/basement?s=t

Thank you.
Mikhail Korolev
Local time: 00:25
Selected answer:goes downstairs to the basement or study or office downstairs
Explanation:
"Dad" is busy with work and goes downstairs into the study or office that he has in the basement.

He didn't disappear as a ghost. He just left to go to work.

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Note added at 6 mins (2017-04-11 14:23:22 GMT)
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Some basements have offices and are furnished. They are not damp underground places.
Selected response from:

Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
Ecuador
Local time: 16:25
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Patricia.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +15goes downstairs to the basement or study or office downstairs
Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
3 +1he becomes unavailable
Maria Pia Giuseppina Nuzzolese


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +15
goes downstairs to the basement or study or office downstairs


Explanation:
"Dad" is busy with work and goes downstairs into the study or office that he has in the basement.

He didn't disappear as a ghost. He just left to go to work.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2017-04-11 14:23:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Some basements have offices and are furnished. They are not damp underground places.

Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
Ecuador
Local time: 16:25
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Patricia.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard
5 mins
agree  12316323 (X): In the US, many houses in the North have basements, and more and more they are finished/remodeled. Search in Google Images and you'll see how nice, even luxurious, they can be. Basically, Dad goes into his office for long stretches and they don't see him.
7 mins
agree  Armorel Young: I don't think there's any metaphor - he simply shuts himself away downstairs.
20 mins
agree  Jack Doughty
24 mins
agree  Mark Nathan
40 mins
agree  Robert Forstag
41 mins
agree  Yasutomo Kanazawa
47 mins
agree  Tony M: Yes, the basement is often where there is a study, 'den', or "Dad's room".
55 mins
agree  Sheila Wilson
1 hr
agree  Sheri P: My own office is in my basement, and it's lovely. Extremely common in the US.
1 hr
agree  Terry Richards: My office is in the basement too, and I'm in France. He may mean that his office is literally in the basement or it may be a metaphor. If a direct translation doesn't work in your language, you could use "home office" and still make the point.
2 hrs
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
2 hrs
agree  AllegroTrans: yes, quite possibly not a dingy place at all; some folks have a bar in their basements...
7 hrs
agree  James A. Walsh
20 hrs
agree  acetran
1 day 18 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
he becomes unavailable


Explanation:
In fact in my opinion it's simply a metaphor to show how much he is involved in his writing.

Maria Pia Giuseppina Nuzzolese
Italy
Local time: 23:25
Works in field
Native speaker of: Italian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: I think it's much more literal than that, even if possibly not actually the basement; "shuts himself away (in the study, etc.)"
56 mins
neutral  Sheila Wilson: I can't see why the writer would be specific about a basement in that case.
1 hr
neutral  AllegroTrans: Text says basement; "becomes unavailable" could mean numerous other things
7 hrs
agree  acetran
1 day 18 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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