<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR><B>mark12_30</B> quoting Tolkien: <I>A wild light came into Frodo's eyes. "Stand away! Don't touch me!" he cried. "It is mine, I say. Be off!" His hand strayed to his sword-hilt.</I><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't think it would be correct to say that Frodo's "Be off!" means "Go away." In context, it is more like the "Stand away!" expression included in the actual quote. <P>Which I take to mean, "Don't touch me! Step back out of sword reach, but definitely far enough so that I am sure your grubbing hands cannot reach my ring--my Precious!"
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For I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying. -Gandalf, The Two Towers
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