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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009brief brush
Hi - could not understand what "brief brush" or "brush" means in the following sentence, could anyone please help me out? With great thanks. On net, we expect a brief brush with deflation over the summer, followed by a return to positive inflation later in the year. Kevin > Hi - could not understand what "brief brush" or "brush" means in the > following sentence, could anyone please help me out? With great thanks. > > On net, we expect a brief brush with deflation over the summer, > followed by a return to positive inflation later in the year. As in "brush up against": a light and fleeting contact.  SignatureCordially, Eric Walker, Owlcroft House http://owlcroft.com/english/ > > Hi - could not understand what "brief brush" or "brush" means in the > > following sentence, could anyone please help me out? With great thanks. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Cordially, > Eric Walker, Owlcroft Househttp://owlcroft.com/english/ Thanks Eric - it's strange that I could not find "brief brush" in dictionaries (free dict, oxford, cambridge, merriam-webster, encarta, collins, urban dict, etc) BUT there are many results from google. Kevin >> > Hi - could not understand what "brief brush" or "brush" means in the >> > following sentence, could anyone please help me out? With great thanks. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >collins, urban dict, etc) BUT there are many results from google. >Kevin Dictionaries do not list every possible combination of adjective and noun. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.english.usage) >>> > Hi - could not understand what "brief brush" or "brush" means in the >>> > following sentence, could anyone please help me out? With great thanks. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >Dictionaries do not list every possible combination of adjective and >noun. Shame on them. :) SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years > Shame on them. :) > -- [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Brooklyn, NY 12 years > Baltimore 26 years As a Chinese who studies English as a foreign language in my homeland (Hong Kong), I do believe that quality of dictionaries contributes to the decadent English standard here or among my fellow colleagues. Definitions of some entries could not tell exactly what they are. Of course I mean the English-Chinese dictionaries, whatever they are, Oxford, Cambridge or the likes. The worst thing is famous eggheads here were always hired to recommend the books. Another shame. Kevin >> Shame on them. :) >> -- [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >here were always hired to recommend the books. Another shame. >Kevin Well, at some point each of you guys have to stop using a Chinese-English dictionary and use an English only dictionary. Or both of them. My Israeli friend who spoke English well still took it as a high compliment when I gave her an English-only dictionary. She really needed it for the words one doesn't see very often. In this case, did you look "brush" up in a E-C dictionary. Of course it only gave literal translations and maybe very common figurative ones. If you had used an Engliish-English dictionary you would have found what you want. Yes, "brief" is just the normal meaning of the adjective "brief", meaning short (in terms of time). "Brief brush" is two words used together. It's not an idiom or a phrase that means more than the sum of the two words. Those would be like dumb luck, maybe time bomb, etc. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years > Dictionaries do not list every possible combination of adjective and > noun. > > -- > Peter Duncanson, UK > (in alt.english.usage) Oh, I think it's an idiom instead of two words. Kevin, Hong Kong >> Dictionaries do not list every possible combination of adjective and >> noun. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Oh, I think it's an idiom instead of two words. >Kevin, Hong Kong Not really. A "brief brush" with..." is idiomatic, but not an idiom. For a phrase to be an idiom there has to be some standard use of the phrase that makes the phrase commonly understood *as a phrase*. In this case, the word "brush" can be used separately (he had a brush with death) or with another adjective (a sudden brush of fear). The phrase "brief brush" does not stand alone as a phrase with a standard meaning. It has meaning, but the meaning is derived from adjective combined with the noun. SignatureTony Cooper - Orlando, Florida > >> Dictionaries do not list every possible combination of adjective and > >> noun. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > -- > Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida Sorry that I used the word "idiom" too loosely. Thanks for your correction. Kevin >> Dictionaries do not list every possible combination of adjective and >> noun. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Oh, I think it's an idiom instead of two words. I disagree. SignatureMarshall Price of Miami marshallprice@att.net http://marshallprice.wordpress.com |
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