Them who sing fetches

Tea Addict

Tea Addict

Senior Member
Republic of Korea Korean
Hello everyone. I would like to know what "Them who sing fetches" means in the following sentences:

“Punch?” she repeated like someone who snaps a finger in front of you and brings you back among the living by saying Boo! “Them who sing fetches,” she added, all set to go and fetch me some punch.
I told her she didn’t have to bring me anything; I’d get some myself. I knew I was being unnecessarily fussy and that I could easily have accepted her offer.

- André Aciman, Eight White Nights, First Night

(I am starting a new book! :D)

This is a novel published in the United States of America in 2010. The protagonist meets Clara at a New year's eve party. After showing that she can sing because she was a music major, Clara is trying to get him a cup of fruit punch.

In this part, I wonder what the underlined expression means.
I guess I am confused because the structure is unusual to me... Would "them" be functioning like a subject rather than an object perhaps...?
But then, even if "them" is the subject, there appears "fetches" rather than "fetch", so I am not sure. o_O

I would very much appreciate your help. :)
 
    • Tea Addict

    Tea Addict

    Senior Member
    Republic of Korea Korean
    Dear JulianStuart,

    Thank you very much for the explanation.
    So it is an expression derived from an idiom!

    In that case, I guess the singular subject of "fetches" is "them who sing"!
    And, because it is "who" rather than "as", the subject of "sing" is treated like a plural noun ("them"), whereas the subject of "has" in the idiom is "as", which can be treated as a singular noun. (I hope I understood correctly. :D)

    And the underlined part would mean "Those who sing, brings", probably meaning the people who have the ability to sing are granted access to many advantages such as bringing (fetching) the fruit punch.

    I sincerely appreciate your help. :)
     
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