Like a closed book?_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Like a closed book?

Reader question:

Please explain “closed book” in this sentence: When he was in the twenties, women always seemed like a closed book to him.

My comments:

This means that when he was young, he did not know much, or anthing about women. He did not understand them. He had no idea what women wanted from him. Things like that.

That’s nothing to be ashamed of, actually. I’ve heard of men far older say they have no idea what women want, what they’re up to, what makes them tick and things of that nature. I’ll give you an extreme example. One retired man in our neighborhood once bragged that he should stand a good chance with women if he were to marry one of them – he is in his early sixties and remained single – because old as he is, he’s “pure” and, in fact, “still a virgin”.

Like I said, this man never got married but somehow remains adamant that if he fancies it, he should stand a good chance with women because of his virginity, believing women will find him more desirable on the strength of that fact.

Like I said, this man who is otherwise quite friendly and good natured remains single to this day and his lack of knowledge regarding the opposite sex, you may say, must have contributed to his singlehood.

Anyway, finding women to be a “closed book” is nothing to be ashamed of when you’re young. Like I said, much older men often wonder aloud about what women want. Women, I guess, is that sort of mystery.