Both Uses of
poise
in
To Kill a Mockingbird
- Our activities halted when any of the neighbors appeared, and once I saw Miss Maudie Atkinson staring across the street at us, her hedge clippers poised in midair.
p. 44.9poised = suspended
- This practice allegedly overcame a variety of evils: standing in front of his fellows encouraged good posture and gave a child poise; delivering a short talk made him word-conscious; learning his current event strengthened his memory; being singled out made him more than ever anxious to return to the Group.
p. 279.7 *poise = composure or grace
Definitions:
-
(1)
(poise) calm, confident, and in control—especially in movement, behavior, or when ready to act
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, poise is a technical word referencing a unit of dynamic viscosity.