Both Uses of
oblige
in
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- I shouldn't have accepted her help, but 'tis a tricky job, and when she came along I was greatly obliged to her.
p. 132.5 *obliged = grateful
- "We are obliged to listen to the testimony, Matthew," said Captain Talcott reasonably.
p. 213.3 *obliged = required (obligated)
Definitions:
-
(1)
(oblige as in: I am obliged by law.) require (obligate) to do something
-
(2)
(oblige as in: I obliged her every request.) grant a favor to someone
-
(3)
(obliged as in: I'm much obliged for your kindness) grateful or indebted
-
(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.