0
Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary
Leer open
Hi,
I read the following sentence:
"Finally the fastenings of the jail jarred and rattled, and an awful door leered open on its hinges."
Could someone tell me what the expression "leered open" mean?
In various dictionaries I found that "leer" means rather "a sly, sidelong look", and it somehow doesn't fit into this sentence.
Thanks for your answers.
I read the following sentence:
"Finally the fastenings of the jail jarred and rattled, and an awful door leered open on its hinges."
Could someone tell me what the expression "leered open" mean?
In various dictionaries I found that "leer" means rather "a sly, sidelong look", and it somehow doesn't fit into this sentence.
Thanks for your answers.
Top answer
Anonymous Finally the fastenings of the jail jarred and rattled, and an awful door leered open on its hinges. " We attribute human characteristics to the awful door. It's somewhat "poetic" language.
- Anonymous Finally the fastenings of the jail jarred and rattled, and an awful door leered open on its hinges.
- " We attribute human characteristics to the awful door.
- It's somewhat "poetic" language.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
AnonymousFinally the fastenings of the jail jarred and rattled, and an awful door leered open on its hinges.I read this as an example of the figure of speech known as "personification."
We attribute human characteristics to the awful door.
It's somewhat "poetic" language.
0
Related Questions