Drift?
Darwin’s father sensed a certain vocational drift, and, Charles recalled, “was very properly vehement against my turning into an idle sporting man, which then seemed my probably destination.”
What does the underlined words mean?
This is a scene where Darwin’s dream of becoming a doctor failed to materialize and spent much time on extracurricular activities including taxidermy.
Top answer
teacherJapan What does the underlined words mean? The writer was being creatively facetious with a tongue-in-cheek euphemism. It's like Churchill's "terminological inexactitude" for "lie".
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teacherJapanWhat does the underlined words mean?
The writer was being creatively facetious with a tongue-in-cheek euphemism. It's like Churchill's "terminological inexactitude" for "lie". In Darwin's day, the son of a man of substance was expected to enter a profession chosen for him, often depending to some extent on his order of birth. Charles began drift
0teacherJapanvocational drift
The operative dictionary definition of 'drift' is
a slow and gradual change from one situation or opinion to another.
vocation ~ profession; what Darwin wanted to become one day
He was slowly changing his mind about "what he wanted to do when he grew up".
CJ
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