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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary
preening incomprehension
A boy committed a murder. His mother is trying to figure out why he did it. She is telling how she once hit him so hard that she broke his arm, and then she says:
"That is a moment that may put a lie to my preening incomprehension of his crime."
What does preening mean here?
Thanks!
"That is a moment that may put a lie to my preening incomprehension of his crime."
What does preening mean here?
Thanks!
Top answer
I think you have a misquote-- 'preening' seems incongruous here.
- I think you have a misquote-- 'preening' seems incongruous here.
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13 Answers
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I think you have a misquote-- 'preening' seems incongruous here.
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Inter-Company Cricket tournament 2007 is all set to rock Bangalore on the 24th of June.
Clarification : Please clarify whether the usage of "the" before 24th is a valid statement. Can we use the articl in front of a number...as far as i know an article should precede a noun. Please do reply as soon as possible.
nancy
Clarification : Please clarify whether the usage of "the" before 24th is a valid statement. Can we use the articl in front of a number...as far as i know an article should precede a noun. Please do reply as soon as possible.
nancy
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Yes, 'the 24th' is correct. You have two ways to write this date: the 24th of June or June 24th.
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Unfortunately for me, it is not a misquote. It is from a book I am currently working on. And I couldn't agree more, it is incongruous here. That is precisely the reason I posted it. I was hoping native speakers could make some sense of it.
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'Preening' works for me here.
Preening is what a bird does to clean itself and make its feathers look beautiful. When we say preening about a person, it disparages someone who is proud of their appearance.
The mother in this passage was proud to say that she had no idea what could have led her child to become a murderer - surely, she felt, it had nothing to do with her. Then
Preening is what a bird does to clean itself and make its feathers look beautiful. When we say preening about a person, it disparages someone who is proud of their appearance.
The mother in this passage was proud to say that she had no idea what could have led her child to become a murderer - surely, she felt, it had nothing to do with her. Then
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A "smug denial of responsibility" is a very odd thing to lay claim to.
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How so? The mother originally felt she bore no responsibility for her child's psychopathic behaviour - she denied responsibility, and felt reassured and guilt-free. In retrospect, she realises she has contributed to this child's violent past. Her former sense of reassurance she now realises to be misplaced and smug.
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incomprehension of his crime: she (pretended she) had no idea why he did it
preening: she was proud of his son's upbringing having no connection with his crime
put a lie to: contradict
the recollection of his former abuse by herself made her suddenly realize that there was no reason to remain proud and uncomprehending
preening: she was proud of his son's upbringing having no connection with his crime
put a lie to: contradict
the recollection of his former abuse by herself made her suddenly realize that there was no reason to remain proud and uncomprehending
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It is still a most peculiar sentence and one that really does not make good sense. I rather wonder who wrote this passage, and whether English is their native language.
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