Here is the full text of the letter:
Dear sister,
I write what shall be my last appeal to go unanswered, one way or the other.
I feel a prisoner, as on an island, with no jailor, no human soul for commune-- only my one mind, examing itself, endlessly, endlessly,
searching for relief.
In the years since transgression I have sought
no absolution, only bare forgiveness. In good faith I have removed
myself from all temptation, sacrificed to prove my commitment however
I can imagine.
Since Mother's passing I have yearned for nothing more than the acknowledgment of my own kin, to be treated as human again, to breathe
the air of human spirit once more. By grace even a wretch like me
could be saved, but I do not expect it. If not response is received, I
shall henceforth accept my sentence, and one day simply cease to be.
With a brother's love always,
Oscar Masan
The phrase in question, to breathe the air of human spirit once more, could be rewritten to say that the author wishes, once again, to do all of the things that make us human.
Friends, family, companionship, love, loss, joy, sorrow... it could be argued that it is the sum of these things that constitute the human spirit, and the writer wishes to experience them all once again. To savor them as you would savor the smell of a feast at a gathering of loved ones.
From the context of the letter, we can deduce that the author has done something which has rendered him an outcast, and he now feels less than human. The phrase "to breathe the air of...", in English, is commonly used as a metaphor for freedom, or escape, or of breaking free of a bond.
The prisoner yearned for nothing but to breathe the air of freedom once more.
To answer the second part of your question, could it be rephrased as "to drink the wine of human spirit", I would argue that it does not work as well, since the spirit is an intangible thing, like the wind, and is more appropriately represented by the breathing metaphor.
Oddly, and to complicate the matter even further, the phrase "to drink the milk of human kindness" (Macbeth, Shakespeare, 1605) is well established in English.
Hope that helps.
This isn't a particular phrase at all. It just means what it means, that she is different (in a good or a bad way, depending on the context).
It can very well mean that he likes her, or that she's plain retarded, depending on the sentences before that one and after.
You can even say:
You are special to me.
Which is even stronger and means that she matters to you in some way.
Best Answer
Your definition is close to correct, but this definition of the verb "hustle" always includes the suggestion of cheating someone in some way. For example, if I sell you a watch that I swear is a genuine Rolex, but which I know is actually a forgery, that's a kind of hustle. Or, if I pretend to fall down after being hit by your car, and try to get you to pay me money for my "injuries", that's another kind of hustle.
Or, as in the movie The Hustler, I pretend to be mediocre at a game in order to trick you into thinking you can easily win money from me, then, once you make large bets, I beat you and take your money. As you might expect, there is some risk with this scheme, as Paul Newman eventually gets his thumbs broken after hustling the wrong men.
Every city has its population of hustlers, and there are endless ways someone (or some group) can hustle their victims. These kind of schemes are not restricted to any particular country or culture. As previously mentioned, the plot of many movies involve some kind of hustle (The Sting, Matchstick Men, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Producers, The Brothers Bloom, etc.) although in many of these it's not clear who is hustling whom.
However I would not use "hustle" on your teacher unless you really want to imply (playfully or otherwise) that he is trying to cheat you. Instead you want to use "brush me off".
Some dialects might also say "give me the brush". "Blow me off" is also common, but somewhat less polite.