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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Linguistics Studies

Opacity and phrasal verbs

If a time came when mobile phones where the only phones in existence, do you think the meaning of the phrasal verb "hang up" meaning finish a phone call , would become opaque?
  

Top answer

Hi, If a time came when mobile phones where were the only phones in existence, do you think the meaning of the phrasal verb "hang up" , meaning finish a phone call , would become opaque? I wouldn't say 'opaque' is wrong. However, I assume the intended meaning is 'obscure', and I think that would be a more common word to choose.

— Clive

  • Hi, If a time came when mobile phones where were the only phones in existence, do you think the meaning of the phrasal verb "hang up" , meaning finish a phone call , would become opaque?
  • I wouldn't say 'opaque' is wrong.
  • However, I assume the intended meaning is 'obscure', and I think that would be a more common word to choose.
  • The meaning of the sentence makes me think that a better choice would be 'incomprehensible' or perhaps 'archaic'.
  • Best wishes, Clive
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23 Answers
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Hi,

If a time came when mobile phones where were the only phones in existence, do you think the meaning of the phrasal verb "hang up", meaning finish a phone call , would become opaque?

I wouldn't say 'opaque' is wrong. However, I assume the intended meaning is 'obscure', and I think that would be a more common word to choose.

The meaning of th
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<I wouldn't say 'opaque' is wrong. However, I assume the intended meaning is 'obscure', and I think that would be a more common word to choose. >

Would you choose obscure here, Clive?

I find her poetry rather opaque.



I meant "opaque" in the sense of hard to understand or explain.
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I think opaque, obscure, shaded, muddy, and cloudy would all do just as well there, depending on you audience, etc.
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Hi,

Would you choose obscure here, Clive?



I find her poetry rather opaque.



I meant "opaque" in the sense of hard to understand or explain.



Yes, it seems fine here.



For one thing, it's quite a literary word, and you are speaking of a literary subject.



For another, I associate 'opaque'
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< For another, I associate 'opaque' with things where you might reasonably have thought that there was some possibility that a little light might penetrate.>



Not in this meaning:



opacity: incomprehensibility resulting from obscurity of meaning

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I think the topic discussion is more interesting that debates about personal choice of words. Can we get back to it?

_______

[Clarification for the benefit of readers of this thread: this is not a different Anon.]
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Anon:
You are welcome to get back to that discussion if you have something to add.
By the way, I think you meant "than" rather than "that"
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AlpheccaStarsAnon:

You are welcome to get back to that discussion if you have something to add.



Thanks. Yes, I'm wondering just how many multi-word expressions are not lost to opacity. Can you name some?

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Sorry, I meant: I'm wondering just how many multi-word expressions are lost to opacity. Can you name some?
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Anonymous[Clarification for the benefit of readers of this thread: this is not a different Anon.]


They probably think I'm you and you are me because we post from the same IP. Explanation and poetry all in one. Thank me. ;-)

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