Both Uses
sheer
in
The Hunt for Red October
(Auto-generated)
- It was said that at least one Mafia don had been sent up the river by sheer rhetoric.†
Chpt 8.
- There was an eighty-foot sheer drop from the flag bridge to the sea.†
Chpt 13. *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(sheer as in: a sheer blouse) typically of fabric: very thin and delicate -- often transparent
-
(2)
(sheer as in: sheer fun) complete or pure -- without restriction, qualification, or other elements (used for emphasis)
-
(3)
(sheer as in: a sheer cliff) so steep it is almost vertical
-
(4)
(sheer as in: sheer to the left) change direction; or to cause such a change of direction -- usually abruptly
-
(5)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Sheer can also be an alternative spelling for shear (to cut). Sheers can refer to light, transparent curtains.