Posted on 03/22/2012 4:36:02 AM PDT by secret garden
In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day".
brisance \bri-ZAHNS\ , noun
The shattering effect of a high explosive.
Example sentences:
The 'There' turned out to be crucial for the sense of brisance and closure and resolving issues of impotent rage and powerless fear that like accrued in Lenz all day being trapped in the northeastern portions of a squalid halfway house all day fearing for his life, Lenz felt.
-- David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
But this was sustained explosion, reaching now and then a quite unendurable brisance. Yet he endured it, not so much because it was her will as, unbelievably, what had become her need.
-- Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day
Etymology:
Brisance is a relatively new English word. It started being used commonly in the 1910s, but it can be traced to the Celtic word brissim meaning "to break."
The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day. The Review threads are linked for your edification. ;-)
Practice makes perfect.....post on....
Review Thread One: Word For The Day, Thursday 11/14/02: Raffish (Be SURE to check out posts #92 and #111 on this thread!)
Review Thread Two: Word For The Day, Tuesday 1/14/03: Roister
Review Thread Three: Word For The Day, Tuesday 1/28/03: Obdurate
WFB's attempt to emulate us ; ) No pushing at the door please!
Rise and shine!
Apparently there was some brisance used in the demolition of the french gunman.
A for you!
I thought a “brisance” was when you tried to contact the spirit of a dead mohel.
Ya know, that is why I love this place. You just know nobody that frequents DU or watches Bill Maher would get that pun. Or know what a pun is, for that matter.
I am one of the 95% of Americans who knows what a mohel is only because of Jerry Seinfeld.
No properly-executed search-and-destroy adventure is complete without a frisson of brisance.
And SWAT teams put the brie in brisance.
Obama, The Man For No Seasons
Sees his future explode with a brisance
Healthcare killed in September
Landslide loss in November
He and Holder on trial for treasons
I’m one of the 2% of Americans who lost 10% of his equipment at the hands of a mohel. My people are always trying to get 10% off everything, but sometimes we take the concept too far.
My mohel saved all of the foreskins and had them sewn together to make a wallet. When he rubbed it, it turned into a suitcase.
RIMSHOT
I’ve never had any operations that were catered. ;-)
(thumbs up)
The after-effects of ongoing construction & urban development is the scourge of this city...
You might say it’s the bane of their existence.
I’ve heard they refuse to charge a fee. They just take tips.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.