Early Whatsit Gets the Thingy

"But what," said Crawley, "does that mean, exactly?"

"What?" Aziraphale flinched. "It means... what it means." He shook his wings, shifting his weight; the conversational turn was making him uncomfortable.

"Is it an idiom or allegory, or-"

"It's a little worm in a tree, Crawley!" He hadn't meant to raise his voice. It was just... there were so many things, these days, and so many meanings. Which meant there were so many ways to get them wrong.

"Oak tree," Crawley added, yellow eyes gleaming.

"Let me show you what else She made today," Aziraphale muttered, leading them on through Paradise.