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Friday 7 September 2012

Entry: microsmic (adj.)

In context: "Gentlemen, what the president is articulating is that what we face here is a microsmic exemplar of the infamous Democratic Triple Bind faced by visionaries from FDR and JFK on down."

Definition: No idea.  I was able to find this journal article: Regional metabolism in microsmic patients with schizophrenia.  It appears DFW is using the term in an idiosyncratic way.  How about from microcosm (n.):  More generally: a place, situation, etc., regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something much larger.

Other:

SNOOT score: 1
 
Page: 440

Source: Oxford English Dictionary   

2 comments:

  1. Microsmic means "diminished olfactory ability". So they probably misspelled "microcosmic", as you said.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Anon. I wasn't able to find microsmic anywhere.

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