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Exodejavu Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary

"engineering such a feat, or wile, ..."


The extraordinary accomplishments and genius of Leonardo da Vinci are widely known and unreservedly acknowledged in both his works of art and scientific invention. If anyone was capable of engineering such a feat, or wile, and applying it to a portrait it would be one with a mind so ideally endowed as Leonardo's. The obscure elements of Mona Lisa's countenance have stirred up notions of mysticism, or at least have suggested connotations of something irrational and mechanistically inexplicable.

Link: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~noelh/MonaLisa.htm
What does "wile" mean in this context?

The definitions given on online M-W seem to be pejorative...
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wile

Does "engineer a feat" mean that "do something wonderfully"?

Regards
  

Top answer

Hi, [The extraordinary accomplishments and genius of Leonardo da Vinci are widely known and unreservedly acknowledged in both his works of art and scientific invention. If anyone was capable of engineering such a feat, or wile, and applying it to a portrait it would be one with a mind so ideally endowed as Leonardo's. The obscure elements of Mona Lisa's countenance have stirred up notions of mysticism, or at least have suggested connotations of something irrational and mechanistically inexplicable.

— Clive

  • Hi, [The extraordinary accomplishments and genius of Leonardo da Vinci are widely known and unreservedly acknowledged in both his works of art and scientific invention.
  • If anyone was capable of engineering such a feat, or wile, and applying it to a portrait it would be one with a mind so ideally endowed as Leonardo's.
  • The obscure elements of Mona Lisa's countenance have stirred up notions of mysticism, or at least have suggested connotations of something irrational and mechanistically inexplicable.
  • htm What does "wile" mean in this context?
  • The definitions given on online M-W seem to be pejorative...
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1 Answers
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Hi,
[The extraordinary accomplishments and genius of Leonardo da Vinci are widely known and unreservedly acknowledged in both his works of art and scientific invention. If anyone was capable of engineering such a feat, or wile, and applying it to a portrait it would be one with a mind so ideally endowed as Leonardo's. The obscure elements of Mona Lisa's countenance have stirred up notions of
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