Both Uses of
acute
in
The Tell-Tale Heart
- Above all was the sense of hearing acute.
*acute = highly perceptive (much better than normal)
- And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?†
*
Definitions:
-
(acute as in: acute sense of smell) sharp (highly perceptive in some area or mentally sharp)
-
(acute as in: acute pain) sharp (severe or strong) -- usually negative