[Ads-l] "Lose complete control" and its ilk

[Mark Mandel]

But not at all self-conscious or arch are "a happy smile", "an emphatic
'No!'", "a delighted 'Yes!'", "a weary sigh", and many more.

Mark

On May 25, 2017 10:30 AM, "Laurence Horn" wrote:

...
These are similar to a construction I think we’ve discussed in an antique
thread, exemplified by “He raised an insouciant/inquisitive/expectant
eyebrow”, meaning ‘He insouciantly/inquisitively/expectantly raised an
eyebrow’, in that the eyebrow itself was not insouciant or expectant; this
sometimes is employed self-consciously (and archly) as a figure of speech.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org