Some more questions from 'The Jungle Book'

[Haihao]

Hi,

Could you please help me out again with:

“There are more things to find out about in this house,” he said to himself, “than all my family could find out in all their lives. I shall certainly stay and find out.”

1. Is ‘find out about’ a phrasal verb or ‘find out’ + ‘about’? If the latter is true, does it mean ‘find out’ could be used as a v.i.?

Darzee and his wife only cowered down in the nest without answering, for from the thick grass at the foot of the bush there came a low hiss—a horrid cold sound that made Rikki-tikki jump back two clear feet. Then inch by inch out of the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail. When he had lifted one-third of himself clear of the ground, he stayed balancing to and fro exactly as a dandelion tuft balances in the wind, and he looked at Rikki-tikki with the wicked snake’s eyes that never change their expression, whatever the snake may be thinking of.

2. Does both of the ‘clear’ have a sense of enough or no less than?
3. Is ‘clear of the ground’ = ‘clear off the ground’? If so, how could it be so?

“Well,” said Rikki-tikki, and his tail began to fluff up again, “marks or no marks, do you think it is right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest?”

4. Does those '-ling’s always have a sense of baby?

Rikki-tikki knew better than to waste time in staring. He jumped up in the air as high as he could go, and just under him whizzed by the head of Nagaina, Nag’s wicked wife.

5. Does it mean: the head of Nagaina whizzed across/through just under him? If so, why by?

His eyes were all red, and he rocked back and forth, looking for a good place to hold. Karait struck out. Rikki jumped sideways and tried to run in, but the wicked little dusty gray head lashed within a fraction of his shoulder, and he had to jump over the body, and the head followed his heels close.

6. Where to run in?

His father ran out with a stick, but by the time he came up, Karait had lunged out once too far, and Rikki-tikki had sprung, jumped on the snake’s back, dropped his head far between his forelegs, bitten as high up the back as he could get hold, and rolled away.

7. How to understand ‘dropped his head far between his forelegs’?
8. Does ‘bitten as high up the back as he could get hold’ mean: bitten as close to the head (high up the back) as he could reach (get hold)?
9. Does ‘roll away’ mean ‘pull away’?

Too many questions again. :oops: I am sorry…

Many thanks in advance.

Haiaho

[Mister_Micawber]

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1. Is ‘find out about’ a phrasal verb or ‘find out’ + ‘about’? If the latter is true, does it mean ‘find out’ could be used as a v.i.? – Yes, the former and yes. ‘I found out what had happened, but it was no pleasure finding out.’

2. Does both of the ‘clear’ have a sense of enough or no less than? – Two clear feet = two entire feet; clear of the ground = free of the ground; not touching the ground.

3. Is ‘clear of the ground’ = ‘clear off the ground’? If so, how could it be so? – Yes, the front 1/3 of his body is vertical in the air like THIS.

4. Does those '-ling’s always have a sense of baby? – Offhand, yes-- or small things, like ‘seedlings’.

5. Does it mean: the head of Nagaina whizzed across/through just under him? If so, why by? – Yes. ‘by’ = past.

6. Where to run in? – run in close in order to attack.
   

7. How to understand ‘dropped his head far between his forelegs’? – Bit down on the snake as Rikki straddled atop it.

8. Does ‘bitten as high up the back as he could get hold’ mean: bitten as close to the head (high up the back) as he could reach (get hold)? – Yes

9. Does ‘roll away’ mean ‘pull away’? – Sort of: roll away. Rikki releases his bite and tumbles away from the snake.
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