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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Isn't there a rhetorical device that does just this sort of thing?
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
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If I were to change the headline it would be the expression "largely silenced." If the gunfire has stopped altogether then some mention of silence is appropriate. If there is sporadic gunfire then I would describe it as such.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Gunfire means the the firing of guns. When guns are fired,
they make noise, which is also called gunfire.
Gunfire cannot be made quiet, cannot be silenced.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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It's metonymy Dr Bill. Or either synecdoche, one.
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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But not good writing. I could say shit was shinola and
call it a metaphor.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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From his tone I'd say wwh is getting pretty chuffed over this issue...
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Joined: Mar 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Gunfire was largely silenced Monday in the second day of a truce To me, the strangeness comes from the fact that this should apply to a truce.
Gunfire was largely silenced suggests to me that one party responsible was wiped out by the other.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Alex: I had to say it so Faldage would understand it.
I hew to the line, let the chips fall where they may.
Carthago delenda est. And rember, we havn't found any \
dictionary confirmation of "chuffed" meaning unhappy.
Have you got any?
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
Ah I was just pulling your leg with the "chuffed" comment.
Getting back to the sounds of silence... Merriam-Webster gives one definition of silence as a transitive verb meaning "to cause to cease hostile firing or criticism," which is how it is being used in the sentence in question. And "gunfire" is being used as a type of synecdoche or metonymy as Faldage pointed out. What I find objectionable (mildly) is that "largely silenced" is a bit like "mostly a virgin" or "a little bit pregnant."
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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I just re-read Dr Bill's original post. This doesn't make the wording any more elegant, but it's the "lede", not the "hed" (hi, Wow!  ) he's quoting. In fact, I just googled this and although the headline still stood for a while, looks like the leads got changed, all in different ways, depending on timing and on which newspaper was editing the story.
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