|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
From an O. Henry short story, "Roads of Destiny": "I am positive that never during the eleventh and thirteenth centuries did Baron, Troubadour, and Worker amalgamate as harmoniously as their parallels did that evening at old man Ellison's sheep ranch."
O. Henry has a way with words. This use of "amalgamate" seems just right to me. A dentist takes silver powder, adds a bit of liquid mercury, and with only a minimum of coaxing the two unite into a substance with new and valuable properties.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
More O. Henry: The poet's fingers trembled as he tied the contrary ribbons. Then he would have fled from the danger of her presence, but the eyes grew long and cozening, like a gypsy's, and held him. He leaned against the balustrade, clutching his bottle of sour wine.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Yeahbut®, what happened to the twelfth century?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Odd things happen only in odd centuries.
O. Henry could have benefited from a good editor's emendations. I had hoped someone would question his use of "cozening" in a way that differes from the ones given by my dictionary. coz[en 7kuz4!n8 vt., vi. 5< ME cosin, fraud, trickery < ? OFr cosson, horse-trader < L cocio, coctio, a broker, dealer6 1 to cheat; defraud 2 to deceive
What definition would you choose?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
what happened to the twelfth century?
maybe he was dodecaphobic...
formerly known as etaoin...
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>What definition would you choose?
3 : to bring about, induce, or obtain by artful wheedling.. [W3] (like a gypsy)
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear tsuwm: "wheedling" is very close. But only inferiors who expect to be rejected wheedle. The countess was very conscious of her power to influence men, and was exerting it. Something more elegant than pussy whipping.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624
Pooh-Bah
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,624 |
Disagree. "Wheedling" is something that one does when one wants something that one is not entitled to and cannot force the other party to give. It is not related to inferior/superior status. The duchess may well have needed to wheedle to get what she wanted!
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,368
Members9,182
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
1 members (A C Bowden),
744
guests, and
0
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|