All 5 Uses of
lapse
in
Catch-22
- He wondered often how he would ever recognize the first chill, flush, twinge, ache, belch, sneeze, stain, lethargy, vocal slip, loss of balance or lapse of memory that would signal the inevitable beginning of the inevitable end.†
Chpt 17
- With a scornful snicker, he settled himself behind his desk, replaced the empty cigarette holder in his mouth and lapsed into parturient silence for a few moments.†
Chpt 19
- Such lapses of memory were not uncommon in medical annals, he knew.†
Chpt 25 *
- The chaplain nodded to himself as though deciding the argument and lapsed into embarrassed silence.†
Chpt 41
- 'Yes, I suppose I would let them send me home if I were in your place,' he decided uncomfortably, after lapsing into troubled contemplation.†
Chpt 42
Definition:
-
(lapse as in: a lapse in judgement) a change in behavior or state--usually undesired such as a temporary failureThe exact meaning of this sense of lapse is often subject to its context:
- basic example that simply indicates an undesired change in behavior -- "lapsed into alcoholism"
- example indicating that the change was short-term and due to a failure (often of effort or diligence) -- "a lapse in judgment"
- example indicating return to a previous undesired behavior or state -- "lapsed into her old bad habits"
- examples indicating a change in what was occurring where the change is not necessarily negative -- "There was a lapse in the conversation," or "She stopped talking as she lapsed into her own internal world."