blunt, disconcerted, throwing a wedding banquet, blunter, flyswatter, "blunt force injuries" i

“To allow only the kind of art that the average man understands is the worst small-mindedness and the murder of mind and spirit. It is my conviction that the intellect can be certain that in doing what most disconcerts the crowd, in pursuing the most daring, unconventional advances and explorations, it will in some highly indirect fashion serve man - and in the long run, all men.”
- from DOCTOR FAUSTUS by Thomas Mann


Mikhail Lesin's Strange Death in U.S. Follows a Fall From Russia's Elite

By STEVEN LEE MYERS

Mikhail Y. Lesin, once a player in the Kremlin's media apparatus, was found dead from "blunt force injuries" in Washington, fueling speculation of murder.

In a labour-intensive sector like hospitality, where wages are one-third of firms’ costs, alarm bells are ringing over the sudden rise. Few businessmen are against the idea of a living wage—indeed, most claim to support it. But they have been disconcerted by the suddenness with which it was introduced, as well as by its steepnesshttp://econ.st/1DdQO1A

1940.12.18 胡適50歲生日後一天給Roberta (Robby) Lowitz*一封信.說昨天杜威博士給他一封很好的短箋.....兩個晚上前胡適讀 Willa Cather (1873 - 1947) 的Double Birthday,( set in Pittsburgh, is part of a group referred to as the Pittsburgh stories.) 是其生平讀過的最佳小說之一.......我喜Willa Cather的書. 妳知道她嗎?......

"Even in American cities, which seem so much alike, where people seem all to be living the same lives, striving for the same things, thinking the same thoughts, there are still individuals a little out of tune with the times - there are still survivals of a past more loosely woven, there are disconcerting beginnings of a future yet unforeseen."

'Tirza'
By ARNON GRUNBERG. Translated by SAM GARRETT.
Reviewed by SCOTT HUTCHINS
Arnon Grunberg's hero wants to throw his daughter the best party ever.

 I–VI is, in short, an experience of John Cage, where silences become words and words become silences, in arrangements that will disconcert and exercise our minds.


"A strangely merry adventure" is how Graham Robb describes the experience of writing his new book, and a cheerful mixture of optimism and scepticism colours almost every aspect of it. The effect is enjoyably disconcerting.


Taiwan woman 'marries' herself
AFP
TAIPEI — A Taiwanese woman said Sunday she had "married" herself by throwing a wedding banquet. The 30-year-old Chen Wei-yi, who has been an Internet ...
There's a blunter moment as well. Like Miyagi in the original, Han plays briefly at trying to catch a fly with a pair of chopsticks -- but then abruptly pulls out a flyswatter and smashes the insect.

There's little doubt where the flyswatter was made, but by the end of the movie one might wonder: Was that a joke or a warning?

blunt 

Pronunciation: /blʌnt/ 

ADJECTIVE

1(Of a cutting implement) not having a sharp edge or point:a blunt knife

More example sentencesSynonyms

1.1Having a flat or rounded end:the blunt tip of the leaf

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2(Of a person or remark) uncompromisingly forthright:a blunt statement of fact

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VERB

1Make or become less sharp:[WITH OBJECT]: wood can blunt your axe[NO OBJECT]: the edge may blunt very rapidly

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1.1[WITH OBJECT] Weaken or reduce the force of (something):their determination had been blunted

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NOUN

informal

A hollowed-out cigar filled with cannabis.

blunter
adj., blunt·er, blunt·est.

1. Having a dull edge or end; not sharp.
2. Abrupt and often disconcertingly frank in speech: "Onscreen, John Wayne was a blunt talker and straight shooter" (Time). See synonyms at gruff.
3. Slow to understand or perceive; dull.
4. Lacking in feeling; insensitive.

v., blunt·ed, blunt·ing, blunts. v.tr.

1. To dull the edge of.
2. To make less effective; weaken: blunting the criticism with a smile.

v.intr.
To become blunt.

[Middle English.]

bluntly blunt'ly adv.
bluntness blunt'ness n.



flyswatter



IN BRIEF: n. - An implement with a flat part (of mesh or plastic) and a long handle.

disconcert

Syllabification: (dis·con·cert)

Pronunciation: /ˌdiskənˈsərt/

[with object]

• disturb the composure of; unsettle:the abrupt change of subject disconcerted her (as adjective disconcerted)she was amused to see a disconcerted expression on his face

Derivatives
disconcertedly

adverb

disconcertion

Pronunciation: /-ˈsərSHən/

noun

Origin:

late 17th century (in the sense 'upset the progress of'): from obsolete French desconcerter, from des- (expressing reversal) + concerter 'bring together'

 disconcert
 tr.v., -cert·ed, -cert·ing, -certs.

1. To upset the self-possession of; ruffle. See synonyms at embarrass.
2. To frustrate (plans, for example) by throwing into disorder; disarrange.

[Obsolete French disconcerter, from Old French desconcerter : des-, dis- + concerter, to bring into agreement (from Old Italian concertare; see concert).]

disconcertingly dis'con·cert'ing·ly adv.

• [dìskənsə'ːrt]
• 
  

[動](他)((通例受身))〈人の〉落ち着きを失わせる, …をまごつかせる, 〈計画を〉狂わせる.

throw
v., threw (thrū), thrown (thrōn), throw·ing, throws. v.tr.

1. To propel through the air with a motion of the hand or arm.
2. To discharge into the air by any means: a machine that throws tennis balls; ash that was thrown by an erupting volcano.
3. To hurl or fling with great force or speed: threw themselves on the food; jetsam that had been thrown up onto the shore.
4. 1. To force (an opponent) to the ground or floor, as in wrestling or the martial arts.
   2. To cause to fall off: The horse threw its rider.
5. Informal. To cause confusion or perplexity in; disconcert or nonplus: We didn't let our worries throw us.
6. To put on or off hastily or carelessly: throw on a jacket.
7. 1. To put (suddenly or forcefully) into a given condition, position, or activity: threw him into a fit of laughter; threw some supper together; threw her leg over the arm of the chair.
   2. To devote, apply, or direct: threw all their resources into the new endeavor; threw the blame onto the others.
8. To form on a potter's wheel: throw a vase.
9. To twist (fibers) into thread.
10. Games.
    1. To roll (dice).
    2. To roll (a particular combination) with dice.
    3. To discard or play (a card).
11. To send forth; project: She threw me a look of encouragement.
12. To cause (one's voice) to seem to come from a source other than oneself.
13. To cause to fall on or over something; cast: The rising sun threw shadows across the lawn. We threw sheets over the furniture before we painted the ceiling.
14. To bear (young). Used of cows or horses, for example.
15. To arrange or give (a party, for example).
16. To move (a lever or switch) in order to activate, deactivate, or control a device.
17. Informal. To lose or give up (a contest, for example) purposely.
18. To abandon oneself to; have: heard the news and threw a fit.
19. To commit (oneself), especially for leniency or support: threw himself on the mercy of the court.
20. To deliver (a punch), as in boxing: threw a left hook.