Both Uses of
laconic
in
Wuthering Heights
- He — probably swayed by prudential consideration of the folly of offending a good tenant — relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs, and introduced what he supposed would be a subject of interest to me, — a discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of my present place of retirement.†
p. 5.1 *laconic = using few words
- You did not when you saw him, Mr. Lockwood: and at the period of which I speak, he was just the same as then; only fonder of continued solitude, and perhaps still more laconic in company.†
p. 236.7
Definition:
using few words
The word laconic is named after Laconia, a region of Greece once known for using few words. For example, when ancient Athens was fighting Sparta, Athens sent a long message saying "If we beat you, we will destroy your civilization, we will kill everybody, we will spare no-one." The Spartans replied with one word: "If."