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Tuesday 13 March 2012

Entry: rutilant (adj.)


In context: "Jim, brace yourself against my shoulders here for this hard news, at ten: you're a machine a body an object, Jim, no less than this rutilant Montclair, this coil of hose here or take that rake there for the front yard's gravel or sweet Jesus this nasty fat spider flexing in its web over there up next to the rake-handle, see it?"

Definition: Glowing, shining, gleaming, glittering, with either a reddish or golden light.

Other:  To my ears/mind, this a mis-match between word and meaning.  A very neat word, though.  I like Huxley's usage:


1917   A. Huxley Let. 30 Sept. (1969) 135   Behemoth His eyes are little rutilant stones Sunk in black basalt.

SNOOT score: 2

Page:159
 
Source: Oxford English Dictionary


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