touch the wick to steel

[Bushwhacker]

In the process of lighting up a candle I read the following:

He touched the wick to steel. The paper-wrapped tube flickered aflame.

My problem is at to steel. What does steel mean here? Maybe steel is for straighten up? or simply for igniting or lighting?

Thank You

 

[mmasny]

He made the wick touch the blade? I am not a native speaker.

 

[Bushwhacker]

He made the wick touch the blade? I am not a native speaker.

Not at all. Please, read again my first post. I had included an extension of the text. Thanks

 

[Jaskin]

Hi

I hope that image explains it all
but it would make more sense torch to steel then touch to steel :-?

Cheers,

is that the passage you are reading ?

Cat-eyed Vox saw more. Whipping his left leg forward, swinging his axe far behind, he slung the long weapon at a light-colored figure silhouetted by a dark trunk. Vox's companions heard the whap! of steel on flesh, and a gargling cry. Vox was already running. Tamlin and Escevar raced after.

Vox hunched over a stricken man whose breath gurgled with blood. The giant fighter snapped his fingers. Escevar pulled a magic candle from a pocket and touched the wick to steel. The paper-wrapped tube flickered aflame, and Vox snagged Escevar's wrist to bring the light close.

He made the wick touch the blade? I am not a native speaker.

so that's the answer

 

[Bushwhacker]

Hi

I hope that image explains it all
but it would make more sense torch to steel then touch to steel :-?



Cheers,

Thank You. I appreciate your concern but can you explain a little more your post. I'm afraid I don't quite catch your torch proposal.

 

[Jaskin]

hi,
The context is really important. It was just a guess on my part.
Please check my previous post - I have updated it .

cheers

 

[Bushwhacker]

hi,
The context is really important. It was just a guess on my part.
Please check my previous post - I have updated it .

cheers

Yes it is. Quite smart. But, as you can read, context, aside this particular candle which seems to be magic, doesn't seem to enlighten the meaning of steel here. Maybe it is simply referring to the action of lighting up the candle.

 

[Jaskin]

Hi

Cat-eyed Vox saw more. Whipping his left leg forward, swinging his axe far behind, he slung the long weapon at a light-colored figure silhouetted by a dark trunk. Vox's companions heard the whap! of steel on flesh, and a gargling cry. Vox was already running. Tamlin and Escevar raced after.

Vox hunched over a stricken man whose breath gurgled with blood. The giant fighter snapped his fingers. Escevar pulled a magic candle from a pocket and touched the wick to steel. The paper-wrapped tube flickered aflame, and Vox snagged Escevar's wrist to bring the light close.

I still think that mmasny gave the answer already.
Note that the first paragraph steel clearly refers to some sort of weapon.
so my guess would be : he touched, gently strike the wick against axe blade.


Cheers

 

[Bushwhacker]

Hi



I still think that mmasny gave the answer already.
Note that the first paragraph steel clearly refers to some sort of weapon.
so my guess would be : he touched, gently strike the wick against axe blade.


Cheers

If that, you'll agree it doesn't seem a way too English to express this action, won't you? Extremely cryptic. Besides, this "to steel" is a verb? How does "to " work here if steel is a noun?

And moreover, the steel is managed by Vox, but take into account that who manages the candle is Escevar, who doesn't wear any steel sword or the like at that moment of the paragraphes you bring, and Escevar is the one who lights up the candle. I'm afraid there are too many doubts.

Thank You anyway

Cheers

 

[Bushwhacker]

More suggestions?

 

[Jaskin]

hi
The very first paragraph of the story :

A whistle was their only warning.

Two whistles, one from either side under the dark trees.

Instantly Vox and Escevar planted themselves to bracket Tamlin. Vox, old and huge and dark as the night, hefted a war axe while Escevar, young and fair, drew slim steel.

and a bit further :

"Sounds like a shepherd's whistle." Escevar balanced a longsword with the point down and a smatchet .................

Suggestion :
Read again the story from the beginning .
Cheers

 

[Bushwhacker]

hi
The very first paragraph of the story :


and a bit further :


Suggestion :
Read again the story from the beginning .
Cheers

Believe me, till this point I know the story very well. Reread your paragraphs. I don't see the connexion of the steel they carry with the action Escevar does. All around Escevar in this part of the story has nothing to do with his slim steel you mention.

Besides, how do you light up the candle by simply touching the wick with a sword or an axe. If it is magic...
What I need is to know the grammar functions "to" and "steel" have here. Can you tell me them?

Thanks

 

[Jaskin]

hi

Angry and scared, the young swordsman flailed steel in a windmill pattern. A leftward swipe of the smatchet struck nothing, but his longsword kissed flesh. Yet Escevar was bewildered

the dog's teeth clashed on the steel blade.

Escevar hissed for pain in his shredded wrist. His smatchet dangled by a wrist thong.

What I mean you can notice that "steel" is used many times in many places before that very paragraph to refer to a weapon.
You might have notice that Escevar has a sword or some kind of a dagger .
It's a magical candle - so I can say it doesn't need any sort of fire to be lit.
it's a created word, fiction, fantasy ... it doesn't have to be realistic.
ps. steel is a noun there
you touch one thing to another
Cheers

 

[Bushwhacker]

hi






What I mean you can notice that "steel" is used many times in many places before that very paragraph to refer to a weapon.
You might have notice that Escevar has a sword or some kind of a dagger .
It's a magical candle - so I can say it doesn't need any sort of fire to be lit.
it's a created word, fiction, fantasy ... it doesn't have to be realistic.
ps. steel is a noun there
you touch one thing to another
Cheers

OK. A little more clear if it is a noun, but the sentence could have been more specific, more developed to make it understandable. Thank You for all your great concern and of course patience.

 

[euncu]

ps. steel is a noun there

If it was a noun, it should have come with "the" before it (I don't mean that "the" is used for every noun.I belive we need one here). Or, it is a noun but the writer isn't so interested in good English.
On the other hand, I couldn't find a definition for "to steel" that fits here

 

[Bushwhacker]

If it was a noun, it should have come with "the" before it (I don't mean that "the" is used for every noun.I belive we need one here). Or, it is a noun but the writer isn't so interested in good English.
On the other hand, I couldn't find a definition for "to steel" that fits here

This is all my concern, but I think you are right, the writer is not interested in good English.

 

[Jaskin]

hi,

If it was a noun, it should have come with "the" before it (I don't mean that "the" is used for every noun.I belive we need one here). Or, it is a noun but the writer isn't so interested in good English.
On the other hand, I couldn't find a definition for "to steel" that fits here

I'm not very good at using articles; but let me have a go.

1. steel is an uncountable noun
2. there's more than one weapon, any of them carry at least one
3. any specific sword, axe, dagger, hasn't been mentioned in the few previous sentences.




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note:
not a teacher nor a native speaker

 

[euncu]

1. steel is an uncountable noun if we are referring to the alloy in which iron and carbon elements are combined. If we use the word "steel" as a referrence to an object of steel, it becomes countable.

.

 

[Jaskin]

hi
as I said I'm not particularly good at articles :-(

If so; why have you suggested "The steel" not "a steel"? :-?
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note:
not a teacher nor a native speaker

 

[euncu]

hi


If so; why have you suggested "The steel" not "a steel"? :-?

He touched the wick to what?
To the steel.

Here, I assume "steel" is noun. If I found a definition for "to steel" that fit the sentence by making sense, I would tend to say that it wasn't a noun.