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GraveTrain Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Bristle

"The wind bristled along her back and made her ears tremble."

A cat's fur could bristle. A cat could bristle. So, what does "bristle" mean here?
  

Top answer

Hi, My dictionary has 'make the hair stand up'. Clive.

— Clive

  • Hi, My dictionary has 'make the hair stand up'.
  • Clive.
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10 Answers
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Hi,

My dictionary has 'make the hair stand up'.

Clive.
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"Bristle" seems to be intransitive in the original example....
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GraveTrain"Bristle" seems to be intransitive in the original example....
It is. What's your point?

CJ
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Hi,

I think 'bristled the hair' is understood but not said. .

Clive
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So, maybe "bristle" is not used correctly in:

"The wind bristled along her back and made her ears tremble."
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GraveTrainSo, maybe "bristle" is not used correctly in: "The wind bristled along her back and made her ears tremble."
You have an overactive imagination. The use of bristle is fine.

CJ
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CliveHi,I think 'bristled the hair' is understood but not said. . Clive
Thanks Clive!

So, there is an overlooked editing error in the example.
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GraveTrain"The wind bristled along her back and made her ears tremble."
It makes perfect sense because "her" is referring to a she-wolf. Wolves have thick hair on their backs that can easily be raised up by a stiff wind.
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I thought "Wind bristled along her back..." should be read in the spirit of "Wind glided along her back...."
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