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stranger
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Is Behold a religious word that we do not use that often in our daily lives?
What if i say "I behold such a social phenomenon"
what's the difference between it and observe,see ?
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear suededevil: Behold is an old word, reminiscent of things like the Bible. It would
have a an antique flavor, if you wanted that.
To observe has many meanings see does not. And in the seeing sense, it is done for a
purpose, to learn and be able to report.
See also has several shades of meaning. There are those who have eyes, and see not.
I will see if I can be of help to you.
observe
vt.
3served$, 3serv4ing 5ME observen < OFr observer < L observare, to watch, note < ob3 (see OB3) + servare, to keep or hold < IE base *ser3, to watch over, guard > Sans haraiti, (he) guards6
1 to adhere to, follow, keep, or abide by (a law, custom, duty, rule, etc.)
2 to celebrate or keep (a holiday, etc.) according to custom
3 a) to notice or perceive (something) b) to pay special attention to
4 to arrive at as a conclusion after study
5 to say or mention casually; remark
6 to examine and study scientifically
vi.
1 to take notice
2 to comment or remark (on or upon)
3 to act as an observer
—SYN DISCERN, CELEBRATE
ob[serv4ing[ly
adv.
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Joined: Feb 2002
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old hand
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old hand
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Hi suede - As Uncle Bill said, each word has a different meaning. His post is a little more technical - I'm going for the "usage-sentence" form of explanation! "Behold" is more Biblical, but it's also used in formal or mock-formal situations. You might say something like, "Princess Diana's beauty was wondrous to behold." That just means it was a treat to see how beautiful she was. This word is also often used in the expression, "Lo and behold," which is a bit archaic but still common coin (if a phrase can be both those things at once!). You might say, "I rubbed this old lamp I found in the attic, and lo and behold! a genie appeared!" It's an expression of something happening either suddenly or unexpectedly. Behold can also be used ironically, because it is "old language." For example: "Behold, a cell-phone-user running a red light." The use of the word here makes the statement ironic, as if it's an uncommon thing to see a cell-phone-user running a red light, when really it's not. Seeing can be purely visual. You see a blue sky, autumn leaves, a dog with a waggy tail. You see someone commit a crime, make a pass, run a race etc. On the other hand, you don't see television, you watch it....You could see a television in the store and decide you liked that brand, and buy one - to take it home and watch it. You don't see a baseball game - you watch it. But you could see a certain player: "I saw Yogi Berra in the last game of his career." You can also see a play: "I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof last night - it was really good." If you saw it on tv, though, rather than live, you might be more likely to say, "I watched..." as in, "I watched a rerun of 'Friends' last night." Or: "I saw the rerun of 'Friends' when Joey pretends he has a lot of dance experience to try to get a role in a musical." Watched is more general, saw is more specific (you indicate the instance/particular item you saw). Observe is, as Bill said, for more than just seeing. A doctor might observe a patient's reaction to a certain drug; said doctor would not just be seeing what happened, but extrapolating from it. "See" is more of a passive activity (there's an oxymoron, if you like!); "observe" requires a bit more engagement on the part of the observer. You observe effects of actions; you observe results in a scientific study in order to draw conclusions, possibly for publication. You might observe a traffic accident, even - though you're more likely to witness it.  So, for a social phenomenon, you might say: "I see this social phenomenon occurring," or "I observe this social phenomenon occurs" (and you might add, "when" and then give a time or instance).... "I see this social phenomenon of the group dynamic in crowded situations, when people follow each other like sheep." "I observe that, in crowded situations, people fall into a group dynamic and follow each other like sheep." Urg. This may not be the best explanation you get! I'll see how others weigh in on this one....That's my best shot, it being late an' all....!
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Carpal Tunnel
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Lo and behold! modestgoddess has seen what you wanted and made great observations!
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veteran
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"Lo and behold," which is a bit archaic but still common coin (if a phrase can be both those things at once!).
Bravo, MG. Your insights on "behold" are a thing to behold.
As to your Q, "Can a phrase be both archaic and common coin at the same time?", absolutely. Our language is replete with Shakespeareanisms and such like, but we are unaware of the antiquity of these phrases.
Curiously, some of these phrases [which we all understand somehow, as tho thru cultural osmosis] make no literal sense to us, but we use them day in and day out nonetheless.
For instance, who does not know what it means to "pull the wool over their eyes"? But how many of us know why this curious phrase made perfect sense in a bygone era?
Can u guess?
And, while we're at it, does anyone know where the phrase "Has the cat got your tongue?" comes from?
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old hand
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old hand
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O plutarch, you have piqued my curiosity! (or as a friend of mine would put it, "you have peeked my curiosity!" - mind you, she also signs her emails, "chow!" ) Do tell about the wool-pulling and the cat-getting-tongue. The only one I know is the origin of "don't fly off the handle" - or at least, I heard that it comes from warnings about loose ax heads and the damage they can do when they come flying off....(I'm open to correction on this one!)
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Plutarch: so good to see you posting again. I'm sure origin of "has the cat got ;your tongue'
is lost in the mists of antiquity. It does remind me of a little chant by one of my aunts when
one of my brothers tattles uninvited: "Tattle-tale-tit, your tongue shall be slit, And every dog
in town shall have a bit of it!"
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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according to the Word Detective, There's no particular logic to "cat got your tongue," except that cats have served as the object of human myth and metaphor for thousands of years. No sooner did the first caveperson open the door to a yowling cat than people began concocting stories about cats. The black ones bring bad luck. They have nine lives. They suck out your breath while you're sleeping. They make those mysterious long distance calls that show up on your phone bill.
The most surprising thing about "cat got your tongue" may be its relatively recent vintage. While it certainly sounds as if it must have been dreamt up back in the Middle Ages, the earliest written example listed in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1911. if you've got a better story, post it and we'll have at debunking it! 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear suededevil: You might also learn a phrase that formerlyh was used following someone else's
having made a long confusing statement: "I see, said the blind man." Now the cliché is ""Yeah,but..."
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Do tell about the wool-pulling
My pleasure, MG. In merry olde England, gentlemen used to wear wigs made of wool. Pick-pockets working the streets would pull the wigs over their eyes as they snatched their valuables and made their escape.
The wig made it easier for pick-pockets to find profitable prey and to victimize them at the same time. Only in the human kingdom do we find life-forms so ill-suited to survival.
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