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> For example, it says: "A woman in her forties sits on a bench, fixing the shrine with her gaze." This particular example I don't think is poetic rather it is

by bmacho 2y ago

> For example, it says: "A woman in her forties sits on a bench, fixing the shrine with her gaze." This particular example I don't think is poetic rather it is broken.

SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
> I don't think is poetic rather it is broken. No, it is not. You are merely unfamiliar with this sentence construction. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-gaze-on https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-g... https://dictionary.cambridge.org/thesaurus/fix-one-s-gaze https://dictionary.cambridge.org/thesaurus/fix-one-s-gaze https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fix+his+with+a+gaze https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fix+his+with+a+gaze
- bmacho 2y ago
  Collins and Cambridge don't know about it (despite Cambridge having one of the best and largest corpus of spoken and written English). Thefreedictionary I don't accept as reliable. Seems like this proves my point tbh.
  - smcin 2y ago
    GP post cites Collins defining "fix a gaze on"! https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-gaze-on https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-g... Yes Collins knows about it. Even this lesser-known site knows about it: https://texttospeech.io/thesaurus/gaze https://texttospeech.io/thesaurus/gaze > Definition of gaze: (n): a long fixed look; "he fixed his paternal gaze on me"
    - bmacho 2y ago
      We are talking about 'fixing smth with a gaze' and not 'fixing gaze on smth'. The verb, the object and the subject are different.
      - afandian 2y ago
        A dictionary doesn’t capture the entire language. In this thread there are native speakers saying that this is a well formed, meaningful English sentence. Therefore it is.
        bmacho 2y ago
        Are there? Where? Point at one? Two?
        afandian 2y ago
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351605 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351605 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351500 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351500 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351604 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351604
        deleted 2y ago
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        bmacho 2y ago
        Sure, you and the other guy, claiming London in his bio (we don't know if he's a native speaker or not). It might be a regional dialect, which is also a form of broken English, especially if it is very obscure and other English speakers can't even guess the meaning of the idiom out of context.
        afandian 2y ago
        I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here. If you're trying to understand the original article I think you have enough information. If you want to expand your understanding of English then you have some leads to follow and an opportunity to learn. If you don't believe them that's your choice, but it's not evidence to the contrary. If you're trying to gate-keep and prescribe someone else's language, then you should at least respect if others don't want to join your argument. (EDIT - Here's a past exam paper published by Cambridge that references such a phrase on page 16 https://pastpapers.co/cie/O-Level/English-Language-1123/2019-Oct-Nov/1123_w19_ms_21.pdf https://pastpapers.co/cie/O-Level/English-Language-1123/2019... )
  - gdds 2y ago
    (part 1/3) Let's put this to bed once and for all. The sentence under discussion is: > A woman in her forties sits on a bench, fixing the shrine with her gaze. The construction in this sentence is perfectly standard in both British and American English, documented by reputable dictionaries, and in common usage across contexts from tabloids and young adult fantasy to newspapers of record and literary fiction. Dictionaries: Several commenters have posted dictionary entries for related but distinct constructions like "fix a gaze on." Here are entries supporting the exact construction under discussion. 1. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fix-with https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fix-with 2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fix%20(someone)%20with https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fix%20(someone)%2... 3. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix, definition 9: "If you fix someone with a particular kind of expression, you look at them in that way." - "He took her hand and fixed her with a look of deep concern. [VERB noun with noun]" - "He fixed me with a lopsided grin. [VERB noun with noun]" examples from other Collins entries: - "The man fixed his interrogator with a steady gaze and spoke quietly but firmly." (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/sentences/english/gaze https://www.collinsdictionary.com/sentences/english/gaze) - "He pulls his other hand towards his face and fixes me with an intense gaze that has been well practised." (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/intense-gaze https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/inte...) 4. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fix#Verb https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fix#Verb, definition 1.1: "(Of a piercing look) to direct at someone." (note that definition 1, but not 1.1, is marked as obsolete) - "He fixed me with a sickly grin, and said, 'I told you it wouldn't work!'" - "She sniffed, too, comprehendingly, and fixed her son with a relentless eye." 5. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fix_1 https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis..., idioms: "fix somebody with a look, stare, gaze, etc.: to look directly at somebody for a long time" - "He fixed her with an angry stare." 6. Examples from other dictionaries exhibiting the construction: - "To glare is to fix another with a hard, piercing stare" (https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gaze https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gaze) - "Aron Nimzowitsch, a contemporary of Alekhine’s, would smoke a noxious cigar and fix his opponent with a dread stare." (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nimzowitsch https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nimzowitsch)
    - 2y ago
- stavros 2y ago
  The construction wasn't "fixing her gaze on the shrine" (which would be correct), it was "fixing the shrine with her gaze", which makes no sense. What the article says means either "she fastens the shrine into place using her eyes" or "she repairs the shrine with her eyes".
  - noduerme 2y ago
    Indeed, the construction gives the feeling that the shrine itself might float away without her gaze, such is the intensity of her watching it. That is purposeful. It comes from the common phrase "she fixed him with her gaze" which means, not as much that her gaze was fixed on him, as that he froze when he saw her looking at him. I think it was a conscious and valid choice to use this in relation to a static holy object in this context.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
    > it was "fixing the shrine with her gaze", which makes no sense. Again, I disagree, it's a poetic construction, possibly a bit dated, and so the other commenter pointed out, probably more UK English than US English. You don't have to be familiar with it. But there's a kind of closed-minded arrogance to reading such an otherwise well-written piece and concluding "is it me that doesn't know this particular turn of phrase? No, it must be nonsense!"
    - bmacho 2y ago
      I mean the dictionaries don't now it, and google doesn't know it. Also what about your arrogance, just because you've heard it, it doesn't mean that it's correct. I've heard a lot of things that are considered broken English.
      - mock-possum 2y ago
        The irony of you accusing them of arrogance while you refuse to accept an English speaker’s description of how their own language is used - while commenting on an article about fascism and genocide and the erasure of culture - is just - What do you hope to accomplish here?
afandian 2y ago
At least in British English it’s perfectly fine. A bit poetic, but not an obscure construction. edit — NB This is a British English publication. This is an American English default site.

by bmacho 2y ago

> For example, it says: "A woman in her forties sits on a bench, fixing the shrine with her gaze." This particular example I don't think is poetic rather it is broken.

SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago

> I don't think is poetic rather it is broken. No, it is not. You are merely unfamiliar with this sentence construction. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-gaze-on https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-g... https://dictionary.cambridge.org/thesaurus/fix-one-s-gaze https://dictionary.cambridge.org/thesaurus/fix-one-s-gaze https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fix+his+with+a+gaze https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fix+his+with+a+gaze

bmacho 2y ago
Collins and Cambridge don't know about it (despite Cambridge having one of the best and largest corpus of spoken and written English). Thefreedictionary I don't accept as reliable. Seems like this proves my point tbh.
- smcin 2y ago
  GP post cites Collins defining "fix a gaze on"! https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-gaze-on https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix-a-g... Yes Collins knows about it. Even this lesser-known site knows about it: https://texttospeech.io/thesaurus/gaze https://texttospeech.io/thesaurus/gaze > Definition of gaze: (n): a long fixed look; "he fixed his paternal gaze on me"
  - bmacho 2y ago
    We are talking about 'fixing smth with a gaze' and not 'fixing gaze on smth'. The verb, the object and the subject are different.
    - afandian 2y ago
      A dictionary doesn’t capture the entire language. In this thread there are native speakers saying that this is a well formed, meaningful English sentence. Therefore it is.
      - bmacho 2y ago
        Are there? Where? Point at one? Two?
        afandian 2y ago
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351605 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351605 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351500 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351500 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351604 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43351604
        deleted 2y ago
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        deleted 2y ago
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        bmacho 2y ago
        Sure, you and the other guy, claiming London in his bio (we don't know if he's a native speaker or not). It might be a regional dialect, which is also a form of broken English, especially if it is very obscure and other English speakers can't even guess the meaning of the idiom out of context.
        afandian 2y ago
        I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here. If you're trying to understand the original article I think you have enough information. If you want to expand your understanding of English then you have some leads to follow and an opportunity to learn. If you don't believe them that's your choice, but it's not evidence to the contrary. If you're trying to gate-keep and prescribe someone else's language, then you should at least respect if others don't want to join your argument. (EDIT - Here's a past exam paper published by Cambridge that references such a phrase on page 16 https://pastpapers.co/cie/O-Level/English-Language-1123/2019-Oct-Nov/1123_w19_ms_21.pdf https://pastpapers.co/cie/O-Level/English-Language-1123/2019... )
- gdds 2y ago
  (part 1/3) Let's put this to bed once and for all. The sentence under discussion is: > A woman in her forties sits on a bench, fixing the shrine with her gaze. The construction in this sentence is perfectly standard in both British and American English, documented by reputable dictionaries, and in common usage across contexts from tabloids and young adult fantasy to newspapers of record and literary fiction. Dictionaries: Several commenters have posted dictionary entries for related but distinct constructions like "fix a gaze on." Here are entries supporting the exact construction under discussion. 1. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fix-with https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fix-with 2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fix%20(someone)%20with https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fix%20(someone)%2... 3. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix, definition 9: "If you fix someone with a particular kind of expression, you look at them in that way." - "He took her hand and fixed her with a look of deep concern. [VERB noun with noun]" - "He fixed me with a lopsided grin. [VERB noun with noun]" examples from other Collins entries: - "The man fixed his interrogator with a steady gaze and spoke quietly but firmly." (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/sentences/english/gaze https://www.collinsdictionary.com/sentences/english/gaze) - "He pulls his other hand towards his face and fixes me with an intense gaze that has been well practised." (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/intense-gaze https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/inte...) 4. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fix#Verb https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fix#Verb, definition 1.1: "(Of a piercing look) to direct at someone." (note that definition 1, but not 1.1, is marked as obsolete) - "He fixed me with a sickly grin, and said, 'I told you it wouldn't work!'" - "She sniffed, too, comprehendingly, and fixed her son with a relentless eye." 5. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fix_1 https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/englis..., idioms: "fix somebody with a look, stare, gaze, etc.: to look directly at somebody for a long time" - "He fixed her with an angry stare." 6. Examples from other dictionaries exhibiting the construction: - "To glare is to fix another with a hard, piercing stare" (https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gaze https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gaze) - "Aron Nimzowitsch, a contemporary of Alekhine’s, would smoke a noxious cigar and fix his opponent with a dread stare." (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nimzowitsch https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nimzowitsch)
  - 2y ago
stavros 2y ago
The construction wasn't "fixing her gaze on the shrine" (which would be correct), it was "fixing the shrine with her gaze", which makes no sense. What the article says means either "she fastens the shrine into place using her eyes" or "she repairs the shrine with her eyes".
- noduerme 2y ago
  Indeed, the construction gives the feeling that the shrine itself might float away without her gaze, such is the intensity of her watching it. That is purposeful. It comes from the common phrase "she fixed him with her gaze" which means, not as much that her gaze was fixed on him, as that he froze when he saw her looking at him. I think it was a conscious and valid choice to use this in relation to a static holy object in this context.
- SideburnsOfDoom 2y ago
  > it was "fixing the shrine with her gaze", which makes no sense. Again, I disagree, it's a poetic construction, possibly a bit dated, and so the other commenter pointed out, probably more UK English than US English. You don't have to be familiar with it. But there's a kind of closed-minded arrogance to reading such an otherwise well-written piece and concluding "is it me that doesn't know this particular turn of phrase? No, it must be nonsense!"
  - bmacho 2y ago
    I mean the dictionaries don't now it, and google doesn't know it. Also what about your arrogance, just because you've heard it, it doesn't mean that it's correct. I've heard a lot of things that are considered broken English.
    - mock-possum 2y ago
      The irony of you accusing them of arrogance while you refuse to accept an English speaker’s description of how their own language is used - while commenting on an article about fascism and genocide and the erasure of culture - is just - What do you hope to accomplish here?

afandian 2y ago

At least in British English it’s perfectly fine. A bit poetic, but not an obscure construction. edit — NB This is a British English publication. This is an American English default site.