Both Uses of
coax
in
Great Expectations
- I coaxed myself to sleep by thinking of Miss Havisham's, next Wednesday; and in my sleep I saw the file coming at me out of a door, without seeing who held it, and I screamed myself awake.†
Chpt 10coaxed = tried to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gently persuaded
- At length little Jane, perceiving its young brains to be imperilled, softly left her place, and with many small artifices coaxed the dangerous weapon away.†
Chpt 23 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(coax as in: coax her to join us) try to obtain a result through gentle and careful effort -- often gentle persuasion
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Less commonly, coax is a short for coaxial cable (a type of electrical cable used to transmit data, the internet, video and voice communications). Coaxial cables have a conducting wire surrounded by an insulating layer surrounded by a shield. The insulating layer and shield surround a common axis--the conducting wire.
In classic literature, you may see coax used as a synonym for caress or fondle.