Some vocabulary question from "The Power and The Glory&

Sam   Sun Aug 28, 2005 11:03 am GMT
Hello !
Can you please tell me the meaning of the following sentences?

1) A few buzzards looked down from the roof with shabby indifference: he wasn't carrion yet.
what's a shabby indifference?

2) A few turkeys moved with shabby nervous pomp.
I didn't understand the meaning of the shabby nervous pomp :)

3) He sat on the very edge of the rocking-chair, with the brandy staved off with guilty affection.
What's staving off ?

Thanks!
Damian   Sun Aug 28, 2005 1:49 pm GMT
Off hand:

1. Normally shabby means worn, in need of repair, dilapidated, dingy in appearance. It can also mean mean if you see what I mean - in the sense of despicable, dishonourable and unworthy, such as treating somebody badly. Dirty and squalid.
Indifference - lack of interest or attention; unconcern; unimportant, immaterial. Lacking in quality.
I reckon the crows looked down at their potential prey but showed little interest because their meal-to-be was still alive and in the meantime they looked down at heel and grotty because they were hungry.

2. Probably the turkeys were hungry as well if they were shabby but being more decorous birds than crows (apart from the weird droopy necks) they had a pompous air about them and the most likely reason for them being nervous was because it would soon be Christmas (if in the UK) or Thanksgiving (if in the US).

3. Staving off means holding something at arm's length, keeping at bay as undesirable but in this case brandy would be very desirable hence the affection but to yield to temptation would produce the guilt. No wonder he at on the edge of the chair with such temptation...he would either fall off or weaken and unscrew the top of the damn bottle. Sounds like he's an alky, poor bloke.