All 6 Uses of
subtle
in
The Count of Monte Cristo
- A glance at the king after this discreet and subtle exordium, assured Villefort of the benignity of his august auditor, and he went on:— "Sire, I have come as rapidly to Paris as possible, to inform your majesty that I have discovered, in the exercise of my duties, not a commonplace and insignificant plot, such as is every day got up in the lower ranks of the people and in the army, but an actual conspiracy—a storm which menaces no less than your majesty's throne.†
Chpt 9-10
- Thus the Genoese, subtle as he was, was duped by Edmond, in whose favor his mild demeanor, his nautical skill, and his admirable dissimulation, pleaded.†
Chpt 22-23
- "I had announced you beforehand to my friends as an enchanter of the 'Arabian Nights,' a wizard of the Middle Ages; but the Parisians are so subtle in paradoxes that they mistake for caprices of the imagination the most incontestable truths, when these truths do not form a part of their daily existence.†
Chpt 39-40
- As I am only a humble foreigner, you must pardon me if I do not understand all the subtle refinements of your language.†
Chpt 85-86 *
- Oh, it is impossible—you must have saved some surer, more subtle and deadly poison than any other, that you might escape the punishment that you deserve.†
Chpt 107-108
- Well, he told me that Benedetto, who is considered a serpent of subtlety and a giant of cunning, is really but a very commonplace, silly rascal, and altogether unworthy of the experiments that will be made on his phrenological organs after his death.†
Chpt 109-110 *
Definitions:
-
(subtle as in: a subtle shade of blue) understated so as not to draw excess attention
-
(subtle as in: a subtle difference or thinker) not obvious, but understandable by someone with adequate sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps depending upon fine distinctions)
or:
capable of understanding things that require sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps understanding fine distinctions)