All 4 Uses of
obscure
in
To Kill a Mockingbird
- "I'll just call up the principal and tell him!" She put her hands on the wheels of her chair and executed a perfect right face.
"Aw, it's Saturday, Mrs. Dubose," said Jem.
"Makes no difference if it's Saturday," she said obscurely.
p. 134..9 (definition 1) *obscurely = In a manner that is not easily understood (in this case because it doesn't seem to make sense)
- "They c'n go loose and rape up the countryside for all of 'em who run this county care," was one obscure observation we met head on from a skinny gentleman when he passed us.
p. 180..6 (definition 1)obscure = not clearly expressed
- Mr. Ewell was a veteran of an obscure war;
p. 291..5 (definition 2) *obscure = not known to many people
- Thereafter, he resumed his regular weekly appearances at the welfare office for his check, and received it with no grace amid obscure mutterings that the bastards who thought they ran this town wouldn't permit an honest man to make a living.
p. 332..6 (definition 1)obscure = not clearly expressed
Definitions:
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(1) (obscure as in: the view or directions are obscure) not clearly seen, understood, or expressededitor's notes: Although this meaning of obscure typically refers to seeing or understanding, it can refer to difficulty with any type of detection as when something is hard to hear. It can also more specifically mean vague, or mysterious, or unknown by anyone. Much more rarely, it can mean secretive.
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(2) (obscure as in: knows the famous and the obscure) not known to many people; or unimportant or undistinguishededitor's notes: More rarely, this meaning of obscure can be used for:
- seemingly unimportant -- as in "I want her on the team. She always seems to ask obscure questions that reveal problems in a different light."
- humble (typically only found in classic literature) -- as in "Nobody at the table would have guessed of her obscure family background."