Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

What is a *tele-smoke screen*?

The kind of screen that's in a theatre?

Thanks

[Mister Micawber]

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Context would be helpful, MDD


Smokescreen: an action intended to conceal or confuse or obscure (Example: "Requesting new powers of surveillance is just a smokescreen to hide their failures")

A tele-smokescreen would perhaps be this kind of action by TV producers, commentators or programs.
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"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
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Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

[bud]

I found the song that this is from. It's a song about a lover who is perhaps keeping secrets, maybe being circumspect, or in some way not letting the singer know how he truly feels about their relationship. So "smokescreen" (in the lyrics it has the blank) is as Mr. Micawber says.

I'm not sure whey she prefixed it with "tele-," though. My feeling is that since the prefix means "from far away," it was an allusion to his "distance" (emotional distance) from her.

[Mister Micawber]

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Yes, I like Bud's interpretation of tele- better than mine.
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_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
...............
Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's