Both Uses of
confound
in
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
- "Stacey made me leave and Mr. Barnett told me I couldn't come back no more and then I bumped into that confounded Lillian Jean and she tried to make me get off the sidewalk and then her daddy come along and he—" Big Ma's eyes grew large and she whispered hoarsely, "Cassie, I don't think—"†
p. 122.2confounded = confused or frustrated
- I didn't do nothin' to that confounded Lillian Jean.†
p. 126.7 *
Definition:
to confuse, prove wrong, frustrate, or express frustration
in various senses, including:
confuse or surprise -- sometimes specifically to confuse one thing with another
- "confounded by the puzzle" -- confused or perplexed
- "Test results confounded the experts." -- surprised and confused
- "Do not confound confidence with correctness." -- mistake one thing for another
prove wrong, defeat, or frustrate
- "The test results confounded my theory." -- proved wrong
- "Their defense confounded our offense." -- defeated or frustrated
make worse
- "She confounded the problem by painting without sanding." -- made worse
- "The task is complicated by other confounding factors." -- making worse
an exclamation expressing anger or frustration
- "Confound it! Will I ever get this thing to work?"
- "I don't understand the confounded directions!"