"Plume in his vestments"

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Fri May 15 13:22:54 UTC 2009


 From the review by Wesley Morris of the movie "Angels & Demons", "g"
magazine, May 15, 2009, page 7, col. 1:

"OK, no movie whose climax includes a man of God plume, in his
vestments, from the sky with a parachute is entirely serious."

Either seriously asyntactic, or very clever (but still asyntactic)?

1)  Most simply, "plume" should have been "plummeting"?

2)  Perhaps "plume" (adj), in the sense 2.b. of "plume" (noun) = "b.
fig. and in extended use. Often used with the suggestion of
ostentatious display"?  Or -- less apt, I think -- 3.c. =
"Self-satisfaction, triumph. rare".  Or "II. Any of various things
resembling a feather or feathers in form or lightness" (the "man of
God" floats gently down in his parachute?)

Of course, the OED does not have :plume" as an adjective.  A coining?

And if this, a verb is missing.

4)  Or an awry bon mot?  Trying to combine both images -- "plume" in
display and "plummeting" in motion?  But it doesn't work, I suppose
because one is adjectival and the other verbal.

Joel

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