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Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
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 Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 9:52 pm Post subject: scratch out |
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1.Scott's phonautograph consisted of a horn that was connected to astylus. A sheet of paper was then blackened with smoke from an oil lamp. When sound was played through the horn, it would absorb the sound waes and cause the sylus to scratch out marks on the blackened paper.
2.Emma's name had been scratched out. |
I thought that 'scratch out' means 'removing something' such as in the quote #2. But I saw #1 in some newspaper. So what does 'scratch out' in the #1 if it is correct grammatically.
Thanks. |
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Suzanne
Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Posts: 283
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 7:33 am Post subject: |
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Hi!
You are correct--usually "scratch out" means to remove something that has been written down.
In #1, it means that Scott's device was making a mark on the paper in a basic or simple way. Instead of being nicely written, what is being written on the paper are scratches. The stylus is "scratching out" the marks.
You will also hear "scratch out" being used to describe other things that are being done in a simple or crude way.
Example: "The poor people worked hard to scratch out a living." |
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CP
Joined: 12 Jun 2006
Posts: 2875
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:58 am Post subject: |
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Suzanne is right, but in this case, I think there is yet another meaning to "scratch out." I think the stylus is in contact with the paper, which is moving. The paper has a black coating on it, so wherever the moving stylus contacts the paper, it scrapes off some of the black, leaving a white tracing. So the stylus scratches out / scratches off the black coating.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb |
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Suzanne
Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Posts: 283
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 10:10 am Post subject: |
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Good point, CP!
Thanks for adding that comment--it's always helpful to be able to explain in other ways. I like your description. |
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