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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2 |
I understand the meaning of defection but can you say "un-defecting" ? Please see the following article from NY Times. "When Shahram Amiri, the Iranian scientist, took his C.I.A. handlers by surprise last week by un-defecting back to Tehran, he was gambling with his life. " http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/weekinreview/18iran.htmlAre there any alternative words here?
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
Not aware of a single word synonym.
I'm okay with the word "un-defecting" in this context as the meanings seems clear, but the "took ... by ... by..." seems clumsy to me.
I probably would have been more verbose.
"When Shahram Amiri surprised his C.I.A. handlers last week by recanting his defection and returning to Iran, he was gambling with his life."
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12 |
While not a perfect opposite, and fraught with political implication, why isn't "repatriated" appropriate?
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
While repatriated may well describe what he did on one level it is not as precise on another. Someone could well become an expatriate for purely personal reasons and without repudiating their loyalty to their native country and then, after some time abroad, return to their native land. There is no sense of defecting implied in this scenario.
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