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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 13,858 |
"Pray don't mention such a thing," said the count. Baptistin
re-entered with glasses, wine, and biscuits. The count
filled one glass, but in the other he only poured a few
drops of the ruby-colored liquid. The bottle was covered
with spiders' webs, and all the other signs which indicate
the age of wine more truly than do wrinkles on a man's face.
The major made a wise choice; he took the full glass and a
biscuit. The count told Baptistin to leave the plate within
reach of his guest, who began by sipping the Alicante with
an expression of great satisfaction, and then delicately
steeped his biscuit in the wine.
steep2 7stcp8
vt.
5ME stepen, akin to ON steypa, to overturn, cast (metals), plunge into: for prob. IE base see prec.6
1 to soak in liquid, so as to soften, clean, extract the essence of, etc.
2 to immerse, saturate, absorb, or imbue !steeped in folklore"
vi.
to be steeped, as tea leaves
n.
1 a steeping or being steeped
2 liquid in which something is steeped
—SYN SOAK
steep 2
vt.
5ME stepen, akin to ON steypa, to overturn, cast (metals), plunge into: for prob. IE base see prec.6
1 to soak in liquid, so as to soften, clean, extract the essence of, etc.
2 to immerse, saturate, absorb, or imbue !steeped in folklore"
vi.
to be steeped, as tea leaves
n.
1 a steeping or being steeped
2 liquid in which something is steeped
—SYN SOAK
Much more elegant than "dunk", don't you agree?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
I would expect steeping to go on much longer than dunking. Dunking the biscuit in wine would be a quick in and out, while steeping would involve holding the biscuit in the wine for some time.
Bingley
Bingley
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Bingley: I agree that "steep" always implies a long process. I just dislike 'dunk" which suggests impact of a blunt weapon, or excrement falling into a chamber pot.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
Re:The count told Baptistin to leave the plate within
reach of his guest, who began by sipping the Alicante with
an expression of great satisfaction, and then delicately
steeped his biscuit in the wine.
But clearly, he didn't dunk it. First he took a sip from one glass, and then steeped the biscuit in the wine in the other glass.
Maybe he didn't steep it as long as one might steep tea, but hard biscuits aren't going to soften and absorb wine in a second.
a nice italian biscotti (not the ones they sell in starbucks, but the kind you find at a good italian bakery) are really hard and dry. they "stand up" to sitting in hot coffee-not just being dunked in coffee.
Unsoaked, they are like eating sweat hard tack, so hard you could crack a tooth!
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