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Snarf Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary
Aristocratic/Delicate Fingers
One time in one of my undergraduate courses, we were looking at old Italian paintings, and one of the paintings was of a woman who happened to have long, slender fingers. The professor commented on them, saying that the woman "has nice long aristocratic fingers." I'd never heard "aristocratic" be used in that way before. Did she mean that the woman in the painting had delicate-looking fingers? Can "aristocratic" even be used in that way?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Top answer
Yes. To me, it suggests delicate, and also elegant and well cared for. Remember also that, for most of history, ordinary people did manual work, which made their hands rough, red, etc.
- Yes.
- To me, it suggests delicate, and also elegant and well cared for.
- Remember also that, for most of history, ordinary people did manual work, which made their hands rough, red, etc.
- Aristocrats did not do such work.
- Clive
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6 Answers
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Yes. To me, it suggests delicate, and also elegant and well cared for.
Remember also that, for most of history, ordinary people did manual work, which made their hands rough, red, etc.
Aristocrats did not do such work.
Clive
Remember also that, for most of history, ordinary people did manual work, which made their hands rough, red, etc.
Aristocrats did not do such work.
Clive
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Yes, an aristocrat (male) once told me that one of the traits of an aristocrat was long lovely fingers.
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I, too, have been told by an aristocrat that long fingers was a physical trait on the breed.
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Members of the nobility did not labor, so they rarely (if ever) injured them. This means that they would grow to their genetic potential.
Compare that to a peasant youth, who would likely bump/crush/tweak their fingers multiple times over the lifespan, which limits growth. Also the difference in mineral intake. Also the difference in stress load.
Aristocrats to this day
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