Both Uses of
oblige
in
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand
- He graduated to the tail of the family mule, and eventually, hanging off the tail of an obliging horse named Paint, he began to run, a gait that initially caused him excruciating pain.
p. 16.7obliging = helpful
- When a drunken hothead tried to pick a fight, Phil stared back indifferently, but Louie obliged.
p. 112.5 *obliged = gave what was desired
Definitions:
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(1)
(oblige as in: I am obliged by law.) require (obligate) to do something
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(2)
(oblige as in: I obliged her every request.) grant a favor to someone
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(3)
(obliged as in: I'm much obliged for your kindness) grateful or indebted
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(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, in classic literature you may see oblige as a synonym for ask as when Jules Verne wrote "I obliged the Professor to move his lamp over the walls of the gallery," in Journey to the Center of the Earth.