Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
fat + angular
English answer:
wide / thick and stiff / rigid
Added to glossary by
jerrie
Sep 16, 2002 07:54
22 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
Hungary
Nil satis nisi optimum
Native in: Hungarian
Works in: English to Hungarian, French to Hungarian, German to Hungarian, and 2 more.
fat + angular
English
Art/Literary
fantasy book
I might be unaware of some meaning(s) of these words, but I simply can't put together this sentence (to make sense):
This is about a forest fire:
Giant woodsucculents hissed and steamed as the water within their fat angular limbs began to boil.
Don't worry about the woodsucculents (this is that children's fantasy book again), but how come that something is fat AND angular at the same time?
Help!
This is about a forest fire:
Giant woodsucculents hissed and steamed as the water within their fat angular limbs began to boil.
Don't worry about the woodsucculents (this is that children's fantasy book again), but how come that something is fat AND angular at the same time?
Help!
Responses
15 mins
Selected
wide / thick and stiff / rigid
alternatives for fat and angular.
If you think of their limbs as being thick (substantial, chunky, solid, wide) and stiff (rigid, jutting out at all angles), then you get over what appears to be a contradiction in terms!
hth
If you think of their limbs as being thick (substantial, chunky, solid, wide) and stiff (rigid, jutting out at all angles), then you get over what appears to be a contradiction in terms!
hth
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks, this is it! Thanks to all of you, you were so fast!"
3 mins
Michael Tovbin
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Commitment to Quality and Deadlines
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
, Russian (Variant: Standard-Russia)
Works in: Russian to English, French to English, English to Russian, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
108
jointed
could angular mean "jointed". The limbs could still be fat (the sections between joints) but the joints themselves could be prominent at the same time.
4 mins
Attila Piróth
France
France
France
PhD, ATA-certified En-Hu, sci-tech-IT
Native in: Hungarian 
Works in: English to Hungarian, French to Hungarian, Hungarian to English, and 2 more.
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184
An elbow is angular
as it is bent. But it sounds weird.
4 mins
Jos Essers
I'm a High Yellow. What colour are you?
Native in: Dutch
Works in: English to Dutch, German to Dutch, French to Dutch, and 1 more.
from any angle
Angular does not necessarily have to mean square. You could think of angular as ''looked at from any angle'' and branches from trees sprout in the most funny angles one can imagine. And that is how they can be fat at the same time.
7 mins
fat because they're thick...
and angular because they're jointed at an angle. Kind of a cactusy-looking plant I would imagine!
Take a look at this site:
Senita generally grows 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 m) tall and has the same general form as organpipe cactus. It differs in having stems with only 5 to 7 (rarely up to10) ribs and very short spines on the juvenile stems, giving them a sharply angular aspect.
You should also scroll down to the Teddy Bear Cholla for a look at limbs that are quite angular!
Take a look at this site:
Senita generally grows 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 m) tall and has the same general form as organpipe cactus. It differs in having stems with only 5 to 7 (rarely up to10) ribs and very short spines on the juvenile stems, giving them a sharply angular aspect.
You should also scroll down to the Teddy Bear Cholla for a look at limbs that are quite angular!
+1
9 mins
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Mexico
Native in English
&
English
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
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2249
My take
Angular means at an angle, forming an angle but also sharp corned. So you're right, there could be a bit of a contradiction. Angular is often associated with skinny rather than fat. But the limbs of your succulents are both fat and they form sharp angles. I like the combination.
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Note added at 2002-09-16 08:06:20 (GMT)
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A nice example of an oxymoron: pointedly foolish.
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Note added at 2002-09-16 08:06:20 (GMT)
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A nice example of an oxymoron: pointedly foolish.
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