Learn English – What does “well” mean here

meaning-in-context

“Couldn’t Percy do that?” Harry asked. The last he had heard, the third Weasley brother was working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic. At these words all the Weasleys and Hermione exchanged darkly significant looks. “Whatever you do, don’t mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad,” Ron told Harry in a tense voice. “Why not?” “Because every time Percy’s name’s mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he’s holding and Mum starts crying,” Fred said. “It’s been awful,” said Ginny sadly. “I think we’re well shut of him,” said George with an uncharacteristically ugly look on his face.

Does it mean better? It is better to get rid of Percy at the moment?

Best Answer

This usage of 'well' is not the intensifier usage, as Dwight Bolinger argues in 'Degree Words':

In dealing with degree words and the comparative indeterminacy of 'approval' and 'fulfilment' [though 'well-spoken' obviously carries the approval sense and 'well-read' obviously carries the intensifier sense , what does eg 'She baked the bread well' mean?], it is well to remember that [words which cannot be intensified can accept only the 'approval' sense] [eg:]

It was a well-conceived plan.

The case was well argued. [both mean 'in a good way' not 'thoroughly']

This is equally true when ['well' is used with] forms other than verbs, though these are less numerous; semantically, they are very much like verbs:

We are well rid of them....

For 'well rid of', some speakers would use 'well shut of' with 'shut' used as a verbal ['well shut of' best regarded as colloquial (but quite common) in the UK].

He is well rid of them uses 'well' as an evaluative pragmatic marker (a comment by the narrator on the value of the fact that 'he is rid of them'). Traditionally, this is a one-word reduction of a comment clause, or a[n evaluative] sentence adverbial. It is paraphrased by 'It is well that he is rid of them' (archaic) or 'It's a good thing that he's rid of them'. The usage is not the intensifier usage of well seen in say 'He is well clear of them'.

The usage is unusual in that evaluative etc pragmatic markers are usually set off by commas to distinguish such usage from the adverbial one:

He is happily married. [adv]

He is, happily, married. [pm] (cf Happily, he is married.)

He is, happily, well shut of them. [pm]

but He is well shut of them. [pm]

shows that 'well' bucks the trend.

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