meaning of "take the worst yourself"

Question

Farewell; Charles sends you his best love, and Edward his worst. If
you think the distinction improper, you may take the worst yourself.
He will write to you when he gets back to his ship, and in the mean
time desires that you will consider me as
Your affectionate sister, J. A.

This is from Jane Austen's letter to her sister Cassandra. I wonder what does "take the worst yourself" mean in this context.

verbose · Accepted Answer

It’s just extending Charles’s joke.
Jane tells Cassandra that Charles sends his love, but with a distinction: “best love” to Cassandra herself, “worst love” to Edward. This is a joke because generally one sends “love” or “best love”. There isn’t such a thing as “worst love”—the phrase is oxymoronic. But if one has a teasing relationship with a sibling or other family member, one could tease that person by saying “I send you love. Not good love, just my worst love.”
That’s what Charles does to Edward. But since the letter is to Cassandra and not to Edward directly, he tells Jane to tell Cassandra that if she does not want to tell Edward that Charles sends him his “worst love” because she might consider such teasing improper, then Cassandra herself can keep the “worst love” and let Edward have the best that he (Charles) had sent to Cassandra.

meaning of "take the worst yourself"

One Answer

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question