# took to his bed (take to your bed)



## paulmill

The dying man took to his bed to await the Grim Reaper. Si un día para mi mal viene a llevarme la Parca...
Me gustaría entender el uso de 'take' en pasado en ésta expresión.;-)

Moderator's note: the discussion is mainly about the usage of "take to your bed" in English.
If your are interesteds some translations into Spanish are lost in the middle here:
post#34, post#42 and post#46


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## loudspeaker

'Se fue a la cama', 'to take to' no se utiliza en inglés contemporáneo con este sentido.


Take to something- old fashioned- to go to a place, especially your bed
Joanne says she's ill, and she's taken to her bed


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## Chasint

loudspeaker said:


> 'Se fue a la cama', 'to take to' no se utiliza en inglés contemporáneo con este sentido.
> Take to something- old fashioned- to go to a place, especially your bed
> Joanne says she's ill, and she's taken to her bed


A quick Google search for *took to her bed 2013* throws up quite a number of contemporaneous examples of the phrase.

Example

_When Megan took to her bed, defeated and depressed, Marie was not surprised._
New York Times
‘Mad Men’ Season 6 Focuses More on Women
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/arts/television/mad-men-season-6-focuses-more-on-women.html?_r=0

paulmill - there is a difference between "going to bed" and "taking to one's bed". The first is what we do every night in order to sleep. The second is a deliberate decision to spend the majority of one's time in bed. This may be because of physical illness or because of mental problems such as depression. In cases of morbid obesity, it is also common. Someone who takes to bed needs a carer to cater for their physical needs.


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## loudspeaker

Sorry, I meant 'anticuado'. 
Anyway, in British English, I don't take to my bed every night; I go to bed. People favour 'go to bed', even when they're ill.


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## Chasint

loudspeaker said:


> Sorry, I meant 'antiquado'.
> Anyway, in British English, I don't take to my bed every night; I go to bed. People favour 'go to bed', even when they're ill.


I'm interested in continuing the discussion. Here are some examples (made up by me) that I believe illustrate the difference:

1. He was tired so he went to bed.

2a. She had flu so she went to bed and stayed there for a week. 

2b. She had flu so she took to her bed and stayed there for a week. 

3. The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferer was obliged to take to his bed for over a year.

I don't see any of these as 'anticuado'. What do you think?


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## loudspeaker

Biffo said:


> I'm interested in continuing the discussion. Here are some examples (made up by me) that I believe illustrate the difference:
> 
> 1. He was tired so he went to bed.
> 
> 2a. She had flu so she went to bed and stayed there for a week.
> 
> 2b. She had flu so she took to her bed and stayed there for a week.
> 
> 3. The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferer was obliged to take to his bed for over a year.
> 
> I don't see any of these as 'anticuado'. What do you think?



1- 
2a- 
2b- old-fashioned
Number 3 does not mean 'to go to bed'. It means 'to stay in bed',  which is slightly different. The CFS sufferer was forced to stay in bed for over a year. 

For example:
'Mother took to her bed at the beginning of last year, and may never get up again' means she was forced to stay in bed. (not: She went to bed).


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## Chasint

I did an informal search. Here's what I found:

*1. *There are many historical uses. In particular in Victorian times there was almost a fashion amongst women from certain sections of society for taking to one's bed.

*2.* There were plenty of examples from recent years. Most were from websites or conversations dealing with terminal illness and seemed personal. I therefore chose not to include them in the discussion.

*3.* The first one I discovered that was both recent and dealt with a happy event, was this article about the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy. The quote was from an ex-schoolmate of Kate Middleton who therefore must be in her early thirties.

_Jessica told Australia's New Idea magazine: "She took to her bed for most of the weekend and on Monday morning, her mother and William told her she must get herself checked out by medics."
_Female First - 11 December 2012
Read more: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/parenting/duchess+of+cambridge-270598.html#ixzz2cXXTLw2L

In my opinion a quote from a thirty-year old last year means that the saying is alive and well.  I realise that a single quote is hardly conclusive evidence but I'm not disposed to make a research project out of this. However...

*4.* Here is a Google ngram showing what I interpret to be a fairly level percentage usage from 1760 to 2008.
_Phrase: took to her bed_
http://books.google.com/ngrams/grap...00&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=5&share=

My conclusion
I believe that the expression is still well-known, current and useful.


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## gotitadeleche

The dying man took to his bed to await the Grim Reaper.

As an American English speaker, this sounds perfectly normal to me. Not old-fashioned at all.


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## Chasint

gotitadeleche said:


> The dying man took to his bed to await the Grim Reaper.
> 
> As an American English speaker, this sounds perfectly normal to me. Not old-fashioned at all.


Thanks for your support. 

Incidentally, in case anyone should argue this is an American English phenomenon, I found the following two ngrams very interesting. They suggest that the expression "took to her bed" was first used around 1750 in BE and apparently requred 40 years to cross the Atlantic!

 "took to her bed" BE usage 1700-2008 http://books.google.com/ngrams/grap...00&year_end=2008&corpus=18&smoothing=5&share=  First appearance ~1750

 "took to her bed" AE usage 1700-2008 http://books.google.com/ngrams/grap...00&year_end=2008&corpus=17&smoothing=5&share=  First appearance ~1790

In both cases the current percentage usage (as of 2008) is about the same and appears to be on a rise.


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## loudspeaker

Biffo said:


> I did an informal search. Here's what I found:
> 
> *1. *There are many historical uses. In particular in Victorian times there was almost a fashion amongst women from certain sections of society for taking to one's bed.
> 
> *2.* There were plenty of examples from recent years. Most were from websites or conversations dealing with terminal illness and seemed personal. I therefore chose not to include them in the discussion.
> 
> *3.* The first one I discovered that was both recent and dealt with a happy event, was this article about the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy. The quote was from an ex-schoolmate of Kate Middleton who therefore must be in her early thirties.
> 
> _Jessica told Australia's New Idea magazine: "She took to her bed for most of the weekend and on Monday morning, her mother and William told her she must get herself checked out by medics."
> _Female First - 11 December 2012
> Read more: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/parenting/duchess+of+cambridge-270598.html#ixzz2cXXTLw2L
> 
> In my opinion a quote from a thirty-year old last year means that the saying is alive and well.  I realise that a single quote is hardly conclusive evidence but I'm not disposed to make a research project out of this. However...
> 
> *4.* Here is a Google ngram showing what I interpret to be a fairly level percentage usage from 1760 to 2008.
> _Phrase: took to her bed_
> http://books.google.com/ngrams/grap...00&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=5&share=
> 
> My conclusion
> I believe that the expression is still well-known, current and useful.






1. Their prudish views are now old fashioned. (1837 - 1901).

2. Terminally ill patients are forced to stay in bed, as by illness. 

3. Same as above. She became ill. So she was forced to stay in bed for the weekend, as by illness. (not= She went to bed). 

4. The BNC, which is more reliable than Google, throws up just 3 hits for 'took to his bed' and another 3 for 'took to her bed'. 




PS 'The dying man took to his bed to await the Grim Reaper', as a fixed expression, also sounds good to me, but that's not what we're discussing here.


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## kalamazoo

There are also expressions like "took to the streets" or "took to the airwaves" and sports teams, at least in the US "take the field." and performers 'take the stage."


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## loudspeaker

And criminals take to their heels, 
and villagers take to the boats to defend their island against attackers arriving by sea, and...


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## Chasint

loudspeaker said:


> 1. Their prudish views are now old fashioned. (1837 - 1901).
> 
> 
> 2. Terminally ill patients are forced to stay in bed, as by illness.
> 
> 
> 3. Same as above. She became ill. So she was forced to stay in bed for the weekend, as by illness. (not= She went to bed).
> 
> 
> 4. The BNC, which is more reliable than Google, throws up just 3 hits for 'took to his bed' and another 3 for 'took to her bed'.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PS 'The dying man took to his bed to await the Grim Reaper', as a fixed expression, also sounds good to me, but that's not what we're discussing here.


1. I mentioned that to show I had recognised the fact that a lot of the usages came from earlier eras and that I was therefore mentally filtering them out.

2. Not all terminally ill patients are 'forced' to take to their beds. When and if they do so is a choice for the individual. As I said, for my own reasons I don't want to quote from current forums about this but I invite you to do an online search for *"took to her bed" terminal*  - You'll find historical mentions of course but also plenty from up-to-date forums.

3. That's your personal opinion. We differ about it but that's diversity. 

4.
*Google search*
What evidence do you have that BNC is more 'reliable' than Google? Reliable in what sense? If we're talking about modern usage (which we are) then, as far as I know, the BNC doesn't have access to recent online usage whereas Google search does. I don't imagine that Google search results are invented - they show real communication between real people. Of course Google search numbers are unreliable because of repeats, that is why I used Google ngram - see below. 
*
The BNC*
I offer this quote from the BNC website.
_The British National Corpus (BNC) is a 100 million word collection of *samples* of written and spoken language from a wide range of sources_ [My emphasis]
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/

The BNC does not claim to be complete or anything like it.

*Google ngram*
I used Google ngram for my numerical statistics not Google search. I quote:

_Google populated the [ngram] database from over 5 million books published up to 2008...Due to limitations on the size of the Ngram database, only matches found in over 40 books are indexed in the database; otherwise the database could not have stored all possible combinations._
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Ngram_Viewer


Note that ngram results are selected from texts that have 40+ matches. That is already more than the BNC. Google ngram has been used for serious research. I don't suppose it's perfect but I think you are dismissing it far too lightly.


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## loudspeaker

Biffo said:


> Not all terminally ill patients are '*forced*' to take to their beds.



'forced' to take to (=to stay) their beds (=in bed). There you are! ,  but then again, it does not mean 'to go to bed'. 

To take to one's bed = to be forced to stay in bed, as by illness 
To take to one's bed (even when you're ill)= to go to bed - - - >old-fashioned. 

I went to bed at 6 pm yesterday because I didn't feel well. 
'I took to my bed at 6 pm yesterday because I didn't feel well' sounds odd and old-fashioned. 

Unlike Google (ngram), the BNC returns so few hits for 'took to his/her bed' because it only deals with *modern* British English.


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## Chasint

loudspeaker said:


> 'forced' to take to (=to stay) their beds (=in bed). There you are! ,  but then again, it does not mean 'to go to bed'.
> 
> To take to one's bed = to be forced to stay in bed, as by illness
> To take to one's bed (even when you're ill)= to go to bed - - - >old-fashioned.
> 
> I went to bed at 6 pm yesterday because I didn't feel well.
> 'I took to my bed at 6 pm yesterday because I didn't feel well' sounds odd and old-fashioned.
> 
> Unlike Google (ngram), the BNC returns so few hits for 'took to his/her bed' because it only deals with *modern* British English.


I feel this is becoming unproductive. I'm taking the trouble to provide solid evidence and you are reiterating your opinions without backup. I disagree with [some of] your opinions.

Google ngram deals with publications up to and including 2008. For me 2008 counts as modern English. The fact that it also includes older ones is merely a bonus in this particular context. Also you seem to discount Google search entirely even though it is bang up to date. People are still using the term online. Have you tried the search I suggested? Are you disagreeing with clear evidence?


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## nwon

Why are we arguing about this ? Evidently, some expressions are antiquated in some places and healthy and used in others. "To take to one's bed" would never be used where I live, not even by older folk. However, apparently Biffo uses it enough or hears it used enough to want to make an argument for it.

Honestly, I don't think literature should count toward what words and expressions are still used. People don't write the way they speak.


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## Chasint

nwon said:


> Why are we arguing about this ? Evidently, some expressions are antiquated in some places and healthy and used in others. "To take to one's bed" would never be used where I live, not even by older folk. However, apparently Biffo uses it enough or hears it used enough to want to make an argument for it.
> Honestly, I don't think literature should count toward what words and expressions are still used. People don't write the way they speak.



It's a fair question. I personally am arguing because of the following:





loudspeaker said:


> 'Se fue a la cama', 'to take to' no se utiliza en inglés contemporáneo con este sentido.
> Take to something- old fashioned- to go to a place, especially your bed
> Joanne says she's ill, and she's taken to her bed


Remember that the forum is used for reference as well as just answering one person's question. It is part of the Wordreference dictionary. I disagreed with the statement *'to take to' no se utiliza en inglés contemporáneo con este sentido *because I thought it was misleading.

It's easy to make unsupported claims on the forums, I've done it myself and been shot down in the past. What I want to do is provide a balanced view with evidence, not just by seeing who can shout loudest.
I agree that literature is not always a reliable guide. That's why I looked online to see if I was out of step. I found many examples of current use that strengthened my view. 

I would have stopped at that point but if someone challenges the work I put in then I feel justified in challenging them right back. I hope it stops here. Let's see.


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## loudspeaker

Biffo said:


> I'm taking the trouble to provide solid evidence





Biffo said:


> Google ngram deals with publications up to and including 2008. For me 2008 counts as modern English. The fact that it also includes older ones is merely a bonus in this particular context.





Biffo said:


> 4. Here is a Google ngram showing what I interpret to be a fairly level percentage usage from 1760 to 2008.
> Phrase: took to her bed
> http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph...thing=5&share=



Solid evidence? I wouldn't call this solid evidence

Search in Google Books:
Click on 1983 - 2008


A World Turned Upside Down: The Palmers of South Santee, *1818-1881*

November 30, *1859*
My dear Hattie, 
[...] He said that she had been sick 18 days buy never took to her bed until Thursday night [...] 

http://books.google.es/books?id=6H3...es&sa=X&ei=BrYUUt3AKquV7QbWuoHoBw&redir_esc=y

Crepuscule
He remembers then that Nastya took to her bed with illness earlier in the day. 
http://books.google.es/books?id=n1A...es&sa=X&ei=BrYUUt3AKquV7QbWuoHoBw&redir_esc=y


The prose of Crepuscule seems to find its source in *19th* *Century* Romance, a highly symbolic genre where verisimilitude is left out in favour of the imagination of the artist.
http://www.romanpayne.com/literature/lit-pages/litpage_parisian-interview-dec2005.htm


The Bitter Earth. 

On the fifth day after Mary took to her bed, she stopped eating solid food. 
http://books.google.es/books?id=K1n...es&sa=X&ei=BrYUUt3AKquV7QbWuoHoBw&redir_esc=y


An interview with Bernice L. McFaden
Why did you choose to set the novel in the *1940s* and *1950s* instead of the present day?

My stories come to me as visions in bits and pieces—and I saw the 40's & 50's.

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/this_bitter_earth.html



Biffo said:


> and you are reiterating your opinions without backup.


The British National Corpus, which only deals with modern British English, returns just 3 hits for 'took to his bed' and another 3 for 'took to her bed'. 




Biffo said:


> I
> I disagreed with the statement
> *'to take to' no se utiliza en inglés contemporáneo con este sentido *  because I thought it was misleading.





loudspeaker said:


> I meant 'anticuado'.


Post # 4


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## kalamazoo

Try something like "I had to take to my bed" and there are lots of examples.


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## loudspeaker

kalamazoo said:


> Try something like "I had to take to my bed" and there are lots of examples.



The BNC returns only 1 hit. 


This is not literature. 

I read this sentence in the newspaper:
He was sick and had to take to his bed yesterday.
Can I say:
He was sick and had to stay in bed yesterday
------------------------------------------------
Not only CAN you say that, it would be more natural to say it that way (in my opinion). (post #2)

I agree with Barb! Common usage in the US would be: He was sick and had to stay in bed yesterday (post #3)

Both "He had to go to bed" and "He had to stay in bed" are both more natural than "He had to take to his bed" in current, local usage. (post #6)

For some reason, "taking to one's bed" always makes me think of Mrs Bennet from *P&P! I would use that phrase to describe what she does on hearing about Lydia running away from Brighton. (post #7)

*P&P stands for Pride and Prejudice ( a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813.) 

I keep reading the title as "Take her to bed" (as in, just to keep her from the foggy foggy dew). We seldom hear "take to her bed" here. (post #10)

I keep reading it like that too! (post #11)


http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/128535-what-meaning-take-her-bed.html

I rest my case.


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## kalamazoo

I am baffled by why this is even an issue.  You can find this expression in perfectly normal English language sources read today by literate people, for example in the New York Times.  Here is a recent example from the Guardian (UK)
I presume Holiday Extras know that customers aren't too bothered about the surroundings, because some of the pictures are broken and I've no idea how big the rooms are. All things considered, I shall probably take to my bed with the satellite TV and a few drinks from the minibar.

This is perfectly ordinary English as far as I am concerned.


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## loudspeaker

kalamazoo said:


> All things considered, I shall probably take to my bed with the satellite TV and a few drinks from the minibar.
> 
> This is perfectly ordinary English as far as I am concerned.



 I would say that 'will' is much more frequent and natural. In modern speech 'shall' sounds a little old-fashioned and formal (to me as a Londoner, at least), and you'll find 'will' used far more often.



I shall (old-fashioned) probably take to my bed (old-fashioned) with the satellite TV and.... sounds like *Mary Poppins* .  In fact, I think she uses it in the film.


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## kalamazoo

I agree, it sounds rather arch and is a deliberate literary effect.


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## Chasint

loudspeaker said:


> I would say that 'will' is much more frequent and natural. In modern speech 'shall' sounds a little old-fashioned and formal (to me as a Londoner, at least), and you'll find 'will' used far more often.
> I shall (old-fashioned) probably take to my bed (old-fashioned) with the satellite TV and.... sounds like *Mary Poppins* .  In fact, I think she uses it in the film.


I suggest with the greatest of respect that you are simply clinging on to your beliefs without regard to what anyone else says. If any of us don't agree with you then we are wrong or old-fashioned.

The evidence is there on the internet to find in everyday ordinary English. However I fear that even if we showed you a thousand examples written yesterday, you would say they are all talking like Jane Austen and therefore don't count.

I hope I have come across as polite in this post. It is my intention to be so whilst expressing my opinion strongly. Just in case there is any doubt, I have reported this post (i.e. my own post) via the red triangle so that the moderators can see if I have remained within the rules.

I'll now leave this thread for others to discuss as I find it unproductive. No answer is required as I shall not be returning to the thread.

Respectfully

Biffo


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## kalamazoo

I think the 'old-fashioned-ness' is related to the concept, not the words. We have no problem with sentences like "Egyptians took to the streets on Saturday to protest..." because we know that people take to the streets to protest.  However, the idea of 'taking to your bed' under stress or duress is a more old-fashioned concept, like getting the vapors.  But 'take to' is alive and well in contemporary English.


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## loudspeaker

kalamazoo said:


> I think the 'old-fashioned-ness' is related to the concept, not the words. We have no problem with sentences like "Egyptians took to the streets on Saturday to protest..." because we know that people take to the streets to protest.  However, the idea of 'taking to your bed' under stress or duress is a more old-fashioned concept, like getting the vapors.  But 'take to' is alive and well in contemporary English.



 Agreed! 




Biffo said:


> The evidence is there on the internet to find in everyday ordinary English.



Please provide solid evidence of everyday ordinary usage of 'to take to one's bed'.


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## kalamazoo

I would say  that the ordinary usage is to use it in a slightly tongue-in-cheek humorous way.  So it is used both in speech and in writing in ordinary English but it's not generally the way to say something in a straightforward manner.


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## loudspeaker

kalamazoo said:


> I would say  that the ordinary usage is to use it in a slightly tongue-in-cheek humorous way.  So it is used both in speech and in writing in ordinary English but it's not generally the way to say something in a straightforward manner.



I agree. Like 'Sir, you are a bounder and a cad' (tossing down your glove to challenge your opponent to a duel) said in a humorous archaic way, but as fitting for today's world as 'to take to one's bed (meaning 'to go to bed'). So I guess you could call it old-fashioned.


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## Bevj

kalamazoo said:


> I would say  that the ordinary usage is to use it in a slightly tongue-in-cheek humorous way.  So it is used both in speech and in writing in ordinary English but it's not generally the way to say something in a straightforward manner.



I agree with this.  
I have not added to this thread till now but by pure chance I heard 'took to his/her bed' *twice* today in normal conversation (solid evidence of everyday usage).  
'With all this excitement I'll have to take to my bed' was one phrase.  The other was something along the lines of 'Same as usual - first sign of a cold and she takes to her bed'.
As kalamazoo says, the effect is slightly tongue-in-cheek but this is not the same as being old-fashioned.  When someone uses the phrase in conversation I think they are doing so on purpose, knowing that the effect is rather whimsical and not quite serious.


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## loudspeaker

3- take to something OLD-FASHIONED to go to a place, especially your bed

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/take-to

I've never heard it. Not even by chance.


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## kalamazoo

"took to the streets" is perfectly common and not old-fashioned.


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## gringuitoloco

The conclusion seems to be this:
It is used in speech today, yet colloquially in the area where Loudspeaker lives, it is not common and understood as archaic. Since other people (with whom I agree) say it is not archaic, apparently in London it is. It would be like saying _el voseo_ is archaic and nobody uses it anymore. It was can be archaic, and still is to some people, but in Rioplatense Spanish it is extremely common. Everybody and his mother uses it in Argentina, especially where I lived. 

They key to communicating well is proved here: Know your audience.


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## loudspeaker

gringuitoloco said:


> The conclusion seems to be this:
> It is used in speech today. Since other people (with whom I agree) say it is not archaic



As of today nobody  has yet claimed in this thread to have ever used 'to take to one's bed' (meaning 'to go to bed'). Nobody has yet said it is common in the area where they live, yet some say it is not old-fashioned (food for thought).


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## aztlaniano

El moribundo guardó cama/se encamó a la espera del ángel exterminador.

To take to one's bed no es simplemente "meterse en la cama" sino "guardar cama" o "encamarse".


Biffo said:


> there is a difference between "going to bed" and "taking to one's bed".  The first is what we do every night in order to sleep. The second is a deliberate decision to spend the majority of one's time in bed.


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## loudspeaker

aztlaniano said:


> El moribundo guardó cama/se encamó a la espera del ángel exterminador.
> 
> To take to one's bed no es simplemente "meterse en la cama" sino "guardar cama" o "encamarse".




En eso estamos de acuerdo, y así lo indiqué en los mensajes 6, 10 y 14. 
'Mother took to her bed at the beginning of last year, and may never get up again' means she was forced to stay in bed. (not: She went to bed).


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## aztlaniano

loudspeaker said:


> En eso estamos de acuerdo, y así lo indiqué en los mensajes 6, 10 y 14.


Sí estamos de acuerdo en cuanto al significado en inglés, pero en cuanto a la traducción creo que las que propongo son más exactas que "irse a la cama".
As far as whether the English is out-of-date, it doesn't seem so to me, but given that I began using English in the 19th c., I may not be a representative contemporary English-speaker.


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## loudspeaker

aztlaniano said:


> Sí estamos de acuerdo en cuanto al significado en inglés, pero en cuanto a la traducción creo que las que propongo son más exactas que "irse a la cama".



 Estoy de acuerdo.


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## gringuitoloco

Your argument is that "to take to one's bed" is outdated/old-fashioned. Since many people on here wouldn't bat an eye at someone using it, I would hardly call it "antiquated." Uncommon, sure, simply because only people who work in fields where people are constantly getting very sick and/or dying would need to use it often. I don't use the word "aboriginal" very often either, but that doesn't make it outdated.


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## loudspeaker

Even something one hears every now and then could be considered archaic. 
'To take to one's bed' as a way of saying 'to go to bed' does sound comically old-fashioned and it does have a slightly dated feel to it, at least for someone of my age. It's more something my great-grandparents used, to the best of my knowledge. 
It may even be used more often for humorous purposes, in imitation of pompous Victorian poseurs. I think part of the humour of 'to take to one's bed' comes from its sounding dated anyway.


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## gringuitoloco

loudspeaker said:


> Even something one hears every now and then could be considered archaic.
> 'To take to one's bed' as a way of saying 'to go to bed' does sound comically old-fashioned and it does have a slightly dated feel to it, at least for someone of my age. It's more something my great-grandparents used, to the best of my knowledge.
> It may even be used more often for humorous purposes, in imitation of pompous Victorian poseurs. I think part of the humour of 'to take to one's bed' comes from its sounding dated anyway.


I'm 23. It isn't your age that makes it sound that way. The word you used was antiquated, which doesn't just mean old or old fashioned, but outdated. So old, that it is out of place in today's language. That's nonsense. However, I seem to be with Biffo in thinking you'll fight to the death over this and refuse to acknowledge the others here who seem to disagree with you. This will be my last post, too.


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## juan2937

loudspeaker said:


> The BNC returns only 1 hit.
> This is not literature.
> I read this sentence in the newspaper:
> He was sick and had to take to his bed yesterday.
> Can I say:
> He was sick and had to stay in bed yesterday
> ------------------------------------------------
> Not only CAN you say that, it would be more natural to say it that way (in my opinion). (post #2)
> 
> I agree with Barb! Common usage in the US would be: He was sick and had to stay in bed yesterday (post #3)
> 
> Both "He had to go to bed" and "He had to stay in bed" are both more natural than "He had to take to his bed" in current, local usage. (post #6)
> 
> For some reason, "taking to one's bed" always makes me think of Mrs Bennet from *P&P! I would use that phrase to describe what she does on hearing about Lydia running away from Brighton. (post #7)
> 
> *P&P stands for Pride and Prejudice ( a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813.)
> 
> I keep reading the title as "Take her to bed" (as in, just to keep her from the foggy foggy dew). We seldom hear "take to her bed" here. (post #10)
> 
> I keep reading it like that too! (post #11)
> 
> 
> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/128535-what-meaning-take-her-bed.html
> 
> I rest my case.



In Spanish we use = *guardar cama*= to take to my bed.


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## loudspeaker

juan2937 said:


> In Spanish we use = *guardar cama*= to take to my bed.


Sí, estoy de acuerdo en que "to take to one's bed" significa "guardar cama" (mensaje 37). En lo que no estoy de acuerdo es en el uso, como tampoco lo están la casi totalidad de los que intervienen en ese foro del mensaje. He preguntado a mis amigos nativos de inglés (edades 18 a 28 años) y tampoco utilizarían: I was sick and had to take to my bed yesterday (*les parece anticuado*). Dirían: I was sick and had to stay in bed yesterday. 
He preguntado también a más de media docena de españoles (edades similares a las anteriores), y me han comentado que "guardar cama" *les parece anticuado*. Ellos jamás dirían: Ayer no me encontré bien y tuve que guardar cama. Dirían: ayer no me encontré bien y tuve que quedarme en la cama. Parece que las dos expresiones (inglés/español) van de la mano.


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## juan2937

loudspeaker said:


> Sí, estoy de acuerdo en que "to take to one's bed" significa "guardar cama" (mensaje 37). En lo que no estoy de acuerdo es en el uso, como tampoco lo están la casi totalidad de los que intervienen en ese foro del mensaje. He preguntado a mis amigos nativos de inglés (edades 18 a 28 años) y tampoco utilizarían: I was sick and had to take to my bed yesterday (*les parece anticuado*). Dirían: I was sick and had to stay in bed yesterday.
> He preguntado también a más de media docena de españoles (edades similares a las anteriores), y me han comentado que "guardar cama" *les parece anticuado*. Ellos jamás dirían: Ayer no me encontré bien y tuve que guardar cama. Dirían: ayer no me encontré bien y tuve que quedarme en la cama. Parece que las dos expresiones (inglés/español) van de la mano.



*Guardar cama* implies something related to illness, quedarme implies something you decide more in your behalf to stay in  bed to play hooky or skive off. Or just a mild cold.


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## Rondivu

loudspeaker said:


> He preguntado también a más de media docena de españoles (edades similares a las anteriores), y me han comentado que "guardar cama" *les parece anticuado*. Ellos jamás dirían: Ayer no me encontré bien y tuve que guardar cama. Dirían: ayer no me encontré bien y tuve que quedarme en la cama.



En cuanto al uso en español, uno ya tiene sus años pero estoy de acuerdo con sus amigos. A mí "guardar cama" me suena literario.
No voy a decir que sea anticuado pero lo que sí le digo es que jamás lo he usado y tampoco se lo he oído decir a nadie de mi entorno. 
No creo ni que lo utilice el médico del ambulatorio (nunca se lo he oído decir, y también tiene sus años). "Debe usted acostarse y *quedarse* unos días *en la cama* hasta que le baje un poco la fiebre" es lo que diría mi médico. 
Por supuesto, puede que en otros lugares de habla hispana "guardar cama" esté a la orden del día. Ahí ya no me atrevo a asegurar nada. 
Un saludo


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## Milton Sand

Hola:
Acá aún la gente guarda cama por enfermedad; y se queda en cama por pereza.

Pero veo que ya estamos alejados del verdadero tema del hilo: «*to take to **one's** bed*», en inglés.

Me sorprende el parecido con la manera como lo decimos por acá: coger pa' la cama, que es irse a acostar pero por voluntad propia. En realidad, acá la gente coge pa' cualquier lado si le da la gana.

Me parece que «guardar cama» se hace después de «to take to *one's *bed». Yo propongo «*irse a guardar cama*». Sin embargo, en la oración de la pregunta original el sentido parece más a «*buscar *[la]* cama*»:

The dying man took to his bed to await the Grim Reaper.
[El hombre] agonizante, buscó su cama para esperar a la Parca.

Vamos a ver cómo evoluciona esto, aunque la duda original ya parece resuelta.

Saludos,


__
Post-edition:
Correction made. I had typed "take to bed"... twice (copy-paste). Sorry.


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## ayuda?

k-in-sc said:


> (The expression is "to take to *one's* bed.")
> It's literary but certainly not antiquated, as nearly everyone has already said.
> Maybe after a few more years of listening, loudspeaker will manage to hear it too ...



The dying man* took to his bed *to await the Grim Reaper.  [I’m about to myself after this one.]

It is literary,it is not a antiquated; it can be used in everyday speech—perhaps in more specific ways. That is the consensus—very much from the beginning. 
k-in-sc  has summed this all up perfectly in 2 sentences with that post.
Bifo [Btitish] has quite painstakingly proved the point by practically any anyone’s standards and beyond any doubt, as far as I am concerned.

At times there seems to be unnecessary, pedantic, weak, and specious attempts to prove what doesn’t have any real basis to it. Such a view can be in the complete minority, but it takes total precedence by repetition, while it is not what is , by the evidence, even accurate, causing long threads. 
At what point does a failure to see the obvious become a matter of ego, rather than grammar, once it is plainly laid out?

I think *“took to his bed”* has the meaning that Bifo defended so well. I don’t see how that is not what the great majority of English speaker would support.    

This could continue _ad infinitum_ and someone still would not concede the truth of the matter. If you’re not open to what is methodically supported [omg, great work] and want to defend a false premise, you won’t hear it, and there will be unnecessary continued confusion.
l Sometimes you almost get the impression that if Einstein were explaining his Theory of Relativity quite intelligibly, someone would complain because he had an accent.


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## irea

Querría añadir otra posible traducción para "take to one's bed". Esta expresión se usa también cuando una persona está muy en baja o deprimida por algún disgusto y no se quiere levantar de la cama durante varios días. Por ejemplo, en "Orgullo y prejuicio" la señora Bennet, la madre de la protagonista, se pasa varios días en la cama cuando su hija menor se fuga con un desalmado. En ese caso no podríamos decir que estaba "guardando cama", porque no estaba enferma. Quizá en ese contexto se podría usar la expresión "se recluyó en su dormitorio" o "se negaba a levantarse de la cama".


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## sound shift

irea said:


> "se negaba a levantarse de la cama".


Esta equivale a "She wouldn't leave her bed", "She refused to leave her bed", las cuales distan de "She took to her bed."


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