All 13 Uses of
direct
in
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
- There were no street lights in this part of town; only the moon directed the way of a pedestrian.
Chpt 1directed = guided
- She was too direct, and to keep up with her he had to pay careful attention to his language.
Chpt 2 *direct = straightforward (specific and to the point)
- "Your father"—she directed a thumb at Milkman—"he couldn't cook worth poot."
Chpt 2directed = pointed
- She toyed, sometimes, with her unsucked breasts, but at some point her lethargy dissipated of its own accord and in its place was wilderness, the focused meanness of a flood or an avalanche of snow which only observers, flying in a rescue helicopter, believed to be an indifferent natural phenomenon, but which the victims, in their last gulp of breath, knew was both directed and personal.
Chpt 5directed = aimed
- Ruth had asked some passer-by where Pilate lived and was directed to a lean brown house set back from the unpaved road.
Chpt 5 *directed = given directions
- At sixteen now, she took a lover from one of the island families and managed to keep direct light from ever hitting her stomach.
Chpt 5 *direct = unobstructed (with nothing in between)
- He lifted his head and let it rest in his hand, directing his words into his shirt sleeve.
Chpt 9directing = aiming
- None of the pleasantness was directed at him because of his father, as it was back home, or his grandfather's memory, as it was in Danville.
Chpt 11directed = aimed
- He was his own director—relieving himself when he wanted to, stopping for cold beer when he was thirsty, and even in a seventy-five-dollar car the sense of power was strong.
Chpt 11director = supervisor (person in charge)standard suffix: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.
- And he was getting clumsy—stepping over big stones rather than around them, dragging his feet and catching them in humped roots, and now that Calvin was not directly in front, he had to push the branches away from his face himself.
Chpt 11directly = close
- But Guitar might be— "I can't let him direct and determine what I do, where I go or when."
Chpt 12direct = command
- And it was at the shout of Jake (who was also, apparently, “the only son of Solomon”) that the twirling boy stopped. Now Milkman understood that if the child's finger pointed at nobody, missed, they started up again. But if it pointed directly to another child, that was when they fell to their knees and sang Pilate's song.
Chpt 12directly = straight (in a straight line)
- Looking about at the faces of the people seated in the pews, she fastened on the first pair of eyes that were directed toward her.
Chpt 13directed = pointed
Definitions:
-
(1)
(direct as in: directly above; or buy direct) without anything in between -- whether in time, space, or involvement
-
(2)
(direct as in: gave a direct answer) straightforward -- often clear, open, or blunt in speech or behavior
-
(3)
(direct as in: direct a question; or direct a film) to guide, aim, or manage -- such as actions, attention, speech, a project or company
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(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Direct can take on many specialized meanings not included in this dictionary.As an adjective or adverb, direct usually means there is a clear or straight connection with nothing in the way. It can also mean easy to understand, without confusion. For example:- Direct action – taking quick and clear steps to make something happen
- Direct descendant – someone who comes straight from an ancestor, like a grandchild
- Direct line (in genealogy) – a family connection that goes straight from one generation to the next
- Direct deposit – money that is sent straight into a bank account
- Direct object – in a sentence, the person or thing that receives the action of the verb
- Direct kick – in sports, a kick where the ball can go straight into the goal without touching another player
- Direct cost – a cost that comes straight from making a product or providing a service
- Direct investment – putting money directly into a company or project
- Direct elections – when people vote for leaders without going through an extra step
- Direct current (DC) – a type of electric flow that moves in only one direction
As a verb, most all of the senses of direct involve giving orders or aiming.