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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

Blank canvas

Hi,

"Apple assembled a blank canvas versatile enough for everyone to use precisely as they wanted. That meant delivering hardware capable of the functions needed for music playback, video streaming, document creation, full-on gaming, elegant reading for magazines and books, map navigation and much more." [From The Independent's article about new iPod version.]

What does the NP "blank canvas" mean in this context?
  

Top answer

Painters often start painting a picture on blank canvas stretched around a wood frame. The canvas is the support on which the picture is painted. Here, I would say, "blank canvas" is a metaphor for the pad of the iPad upon which the company built the product.

— JohnParis

  • Painters often start painting a picture on blank canvas stretched around a wood frame.
  • The canvas is the support on which the picture is painted.
  • Here, I would say, "blank canvas" is a metaphor for the pad of the iPad upon which the company built the product.
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2 Answers
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Painters often start painting a picture on blank canvas stretched around a wood frame.
The canvas is the support on which the picture is painted. Here, I would say, "blank canvas" is a metaphor for the pad of the iPad upon which the company built the product.
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Thank you, JP, for your useful reply. Yes, it seems to be a sort of metaphor.
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