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Mariott Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary
In passing
He had a knack for noticing little things in passing that would eventually turn out to be important. It was thanks to this special talent that he embarked on his studies of house hunting by honeybees.
In this text, the phrase in passing is not clear to me. Can I understand it like little things that pass by?
Thanks in advance!
In this text, the phrase in passing is not clear to me. Can I understand it like little things that pass by?
Thanks in advance!
Top answer
In this context, in passing is referring to something that was passed by quickly, no time was taken in examining or noticing it. For instance, if you are in the grocery store and you go straight to the back because all you need is milk, you would still see fruit and maybe coffee, canned goods, and so on; but you only see them in passing , meaning you do not stop or even slow to take a closer look at them because they are not what you are looking for. It can refer to people too, if you do not stop and take the time to meet or greet them.
- In this context, in passing is referring to something that was passed by quickly, no time was taken in examining or noticing it.
- For instance, if you are in the grocery store and you go straight to the back because all you need is milk, you would still see fruit and maybe coffee, canned goods, and so on; but you only see them in passing , meaning you do not stop or even slow to take a closer look at them because they are not what you are looking for.
- It can refer to people too, if you do not stop and take the time to meet or greet them.
- For instance, I haven't talked to my friend, Shawn, in quite some time.
- I see her in passing , but we never have time to talk .
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2 Answers
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In this context, in passing is referring to something that was passed by quickly, no time was taken in examining or noticing it. For instance, if you are in the grocery store and you go straight to the back because all you need is milk, you would still see fruit and maybe coffee, canned goods, and so on; but you only see them in passing, meaning you do not stop or even slow to take a
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