Jul 15, 2008 19:09
15 yrs ago
English term
Native in: Russian 
Works in: German to Russian, English to Russian, Russian to German, and 1 more.
squiggle-eyed
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
"It surprises you that a fellow of his thews and sinews should curl up in a ball when she looks squiggle-eyed at him and receive her strictures, if that's the word I want, with the meekness of a spaniel rebuked for bringing a decaying bone into the drawing-room."
I can guess what emotions are involved, but... I would be much obliged if somebody tells me what it looks like.
I can guess what emotions are involved, but... I would be much obliged if somebody tells me what it looks like.
Responses
| 3 +3 | scrunched up eyes |
Shera Lyn Parpia
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| 4 +2 | askance |
Jack Dunwell
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| 4 +2 | incredulous |
Sheila Wilson
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| 3 +2 | Squinting |
Alp Berker
|
| 4 +1 | questioningly |
KathyPro
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| 3 | It's unclear |
BrettMN
|
Responses
+3
6 mins
Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Italy
Native in English
&
English
Italy
translating meaning, not just words
Native in: English 
Works in: English to Italian, Italian to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
23
Selected
scrunched up eyes
a stern look, with nearly shut eyes so that they look like short curved lines (squiggles) - a look to give a rebuke, not wide eyed and relaxed
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Demi Ebrite
: This is one of those words that makes the English language so odd ~ the breadth of use of it in terms of meaning goes from romantic, to drooling baby-like, and here, I guess, rebuke! Scrunched up eyes!
43 mins
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indeed :)
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| agree |
Claire Chapman
1 hr
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thanks!
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| disagree |
Gary D
: look at Mr Squiggle Images Australia, Big bold eyes full of life:"of a spaniel rebuked for bringing a decaying bone into the drawing-room."Wide eyed saying, Who Me?
11 hrs
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Gary, that image sure doesn't look intimidating, as the text implies! plus, where is the squiggle?
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| agree |
Tania McConaghy
18 hrs
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thanks :)
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| agree |
LAILA ELBADRY
1 day 15 hrs
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thanks :)
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3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks everybody. To tell the truth, I didn’t quite hope to receive just one definite, incontrovertible answer. Everyone’s opinion was interesting. I think the meaning “scrunched up eyes” is suitable for most contexts. "
+2
11 mins
askance
another possibility- as they say!
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jackie Bowman
: One of my "Top Ten favourite English words that everyone should know". Roses to you for resurrecting it. I haven't seen it too much recently.
1 hr
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Thank you Jackie
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| agree |
juvera
: Yep.
1 hr
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Thank you Juvera
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| neutral |
Claire Chapman
: although the emotion could be the same, the appearance isn't. Dictionary.com gives def. "2. with a side glance; sidewise; obliquely." This mien has more to do with the appearance of the eyes, which squirm and wriggle.
1 hr
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Hi GWC-Claire. Yes additionally"disapproval" ,put down,I think its descriptive. I think He is doing the squirming!
|
+2
13 mins
Alp Berker
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Advanced work in IT + Social Sciences
Native in: English
Works in: Turkish to English, Azerbaijani to English, English, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Squinting
A thin drawn out look, squinting.
+2
12 mins
Sheila Wilson
Spain
Spain
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Spain
20 years producing 100% natural English
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
44
incredulous
You have the original usage in your text:
The Oxford English Dictionary, Robert McCrum reports, contains more than 1,600 Wodehouse quotations and coinages (among the latter: "angel-face," "zippiness," and "squiggle-eyed"). By the turn of the millennium Wodehouse had sold some 100 million books in more than 20 languages.
http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1532/article_de...
This Wodehouse-invented word means incredulous, amazed, very .surprised
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Note added at 24 mins (2008-07-15 19:33:43 GMT)
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There is also a degree of confusion involved (as is fitting with incredulity) and the look is made by opening the eyes wide and raising the eyebrows high (amazement) and frowning (confusion) so that the eyebrows drop a little at the middle. In this way, the eyebrows form a wavy, wriggly or squiggly line.
At least, I think that's accurate - it's certainly what I believe to be true!
The Oxford English Dictionary, Robert McCrum reports, contains more than 1,600 Wodehouse quotations and coinages (among the latter: "angel-face," "zippiness," and "squiggle-eyed"). By the turn of the millennium Wodehouse had sold some 100 million books in more than 20 languages.
http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1532/article_de...
This Wodehouse-invented word means incredulous, amazed, very .surprised
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Note added at 24 mins (2008-07-15 19:33:43 GMT)
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There is also a degree of confusion involved (as is fitting with incredulity) and the look is made by opening the eyes wide and raising the eyebrows high (amazement) and frowning (confusion) so that the eyebrows drop a little at the middle. In this way, the eyebrows form a wavy, wriggly or squiggly line.
At least, I think that's accurate - it's certainly what I believe to be true!
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
warren
: yes I agree, this is how you would look during "shower time"!!
57 mins
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Thanks - Wodehouse must have overdosed on showers to come up with 1600 entries for the OED
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| agree |
Claire Chapman
: with the description of the appearance; not so sure of incredulous// :-)
1 hr
|
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Thanks - it's just one of a range of possible synonyms - mistrustful and doubtful are two others
|
+1
13 mins
questioningly
she looks at him questioningly as she's not sure if she's going to receive encouragement or a rebuke
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Note added at 42 mins (2008-07-15 19:51:48 GMT)
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or rather she hopes for encouragement knowing that she will only be criticized.
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Note added at 42 mins (2008-07-15 19:51:48 GMT)
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or rather she hopes for encouragement knowing that she will only be criticized.
2 hrs
It's unclear
As you can see by the variety of responses, it's not really clear exactly what the author meant. More context might be useful. Also, there are numerous typos and errors in what you've transcribed. Are they in the original also?
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Note added at 22 hrs (2008-07-16 18:07:23 GMT)
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Regarding your question: I suppose it's that it's so awkwardly written (and rather pretentiously written, too, unless it's about a century old) .
>>"It surprises you that a fellow of his thews and sinews should curl up in a ball when she looks squiggle-eyed at him and receive her strictures,
Does "receive her strictures" take us all the way back to "should"? It's so much closer to "she" that it takes a second reading to realize it's meant to refer to the "fellow of thews and sinews" (ugh) rather than "she." (And we wonder why it isn't "receives" instead of "receive" while we wait to decode this ungainly sentence.)
>>if that's the word I want, with the meekness of a spaniel rebuked for bringing a decaying bone into the drawing-room."
Tell me, please, that this was written at least before, say, the 1940s? A drawing room?? It's just an overly long, overly twee sentence.
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Note added at 1 day21 hrs (2008-07-17 16:12:00 GMT)
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I don't dislike long sentences; I said nothing about long sentences. I don't like ungainly, overly pretentious, and awkwardly constructed sentences.
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Note added at 22 hrs (2008-07-16 18:07:23 GMT)
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Regarding your question: I suppose it's that it's so awkwardly written (and rather pretentiously written, too, unless it's about a century old) .
>>"It surprises you that a fellow of his thews and sinews should curl up in a ball when she looks squiggle-eyed at him and receive her strictures,
Does "receive her strictures" take us all the way back to "should"? It's so much closer to "she" that it takes a second reading to realize it's meant to refer to the "fellow of thews and sinews" (ugh) rather than "she." (And we wonder why it isn't "receives" instead of "receive" while we wait to decode this ungainly sentence.)
>>if that's the word I want, with the meekness of a spaniel rebuked for bringing a decaying bone into the drawing-room."
Tell me, please, that this was written at least before, say, the 1940s? A drawing room?? It's just an overly long, overly twee sentence.
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Note added at 1 day21 hrs (2008-07-17 16:12:00 GMT)
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I don't dislike long sentences; I said nothing about long sentences. I don't like ungainly, overly pretentious, and awkwardly constructed sentences.
Note from asker:
| There isn't any more context concerning this word really. BTW what typos and errors do you mean? I can't find a single one. |
| Long sentences are part of P.G. Wodehouse's style, you may like it or not. The quotation is from "Much obliged, Jeeves" written 1971 as far as I know. But the action takes place before 1940, I suppose. |
| IMHO one should know author’s intentions in order to judge one particular sentence on its pretentiousness and gainliness. Two or three pages are more likely to be enough to grasp the style and manner, I think. Perhaps you wouldn’t like Wodehouse’s writing anyway, but many people do. There are many Wodehouse societies worldwide. |
Discussion