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Cat fold 525 Posted 8 years ago
Vocabulary

Engrave

Shortly after being promoted, our young production manager instructed us that in the future all communication with him must be in writing.
The follow morning he met a veteran staff member, who silently produced from his vest pocket a small card and presented it to the manager. On it were engraved two words, “Good morning.”

From the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, "engrave" is defined as " to cut words, pictures or patterns into the surface of metal, stone, etc ". So in this story, do the engraved words have to be below the surface of the card?

  

Top answer

As your dictionary intimates, the word "engraved" is usually used in connection with hard materials such as stone or metal or glass. It may have been used here just for dramatic effect, as it sounds more "impressive" than "written" or "printed".

  • As your dictionary intimates, the word "engraved" is usually used in connection with hard materials such as stone or metal or glass.
  • It may have been used here just for dramatic effect, as it sounds more "impressive" than "written" or "printed".
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2 Answers
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As your dictionary intimates, the word "engraved" is usually used in connection with hard materials such as stone or metal or glass. It may have been used here just for dramatic effect, as it sounds more "impressive" than "written" or "printed".

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The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary is a top-notch descriptive reference, especially for expressions, but it is not a very thorough dictionary. You will get more nuances from others. Onelook.com will give you links to many dictionaries whose results you can compare. The American Heritage Dictionary has this for one definition of "engrave": "To print from a block or plate

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