[Vwoolf] boss of the back
Jeremy Hawthorn
jeremy.hawthorn at ntnu.no
Fri Apr 24 09:52:12 EDT 2020
This triggered a memory. In Charles Dickens's /Sketches by Boz/, the
verb to emboss is used three times. In two cases that which is embossed
clearly stands out rather than sinks in. But then there is this example.
"He [a small child] had a light blue cap with a gold band and tassel on
his head, and a damp piece of gingerbread in his hand, with which he had
slightly embossed his countenance." ("The Steam Excursion")
Of course, if the child has pressed his face into the cake, there may
well be a convex image on one side of it and a concave one on the other
side. However for me the primary image is that of a depression, rather
than a raised impression. Whatever the case, it's a wonderful piece of
Dickensian observation I think!
Jeremy H
On 22.04.2020 18:38, Clark, Hilary wrote:
> A hollow, but also a hump: French "bosse" means hump.
>
> In English, "to emboss" is "to cause to bulge or swell out, make
> convex or protuberant" (OED online).
>
>
> Hilary Clark
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