Preening incomprehension

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	Anonymous  #381422  Tue, 19 Jun 07 10:37 AM A boy committed a murder. His mother is trying to figure out why he did it. She is telling how she once hit him so hard that she broke his arm, and then she says: "That is a moment that may put a lie to my preening incomprehension of his crime." What does preening mean here? Thanks!    Anonymous

	Mister Micawber  #381813  Wed, 20 Jun 07 05:49 AM I think you have a misquote-- 'preening' seems incongruous here.    Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member (22,688) 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

	Anonymous  #381835  Wed, 20 Jun 07 07:28 AM Inter-Company Cricket tournament 2007 is all set to rock Bangalore on the 24th  of June. Clarification : Please clarify whether the usage of "the" before 24th  is a valid statement. Can we use the articl in front of a number...as far as i know an article should precede a noun. Please do reply as soon as possible. nancy    Anonymous
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	Mister Micawber  #381858  Wed, 20 Jun 07 08:41 AM Yes, 'the 24th' is correct.  You have two ways to write this date:  the 24th of June or June 24th.    Mister Micawber
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	Anonymous  #381891  Wed, 20 Jun 07 10:14 AM Unfortunately for me, it is not a misquote. It is from a book I am currently working on. And I couldn't agree more, it is incongruous here. That is precisely the reason I posted it. I was hoping native speakers could make some sense of it. Diana    Anonymous

	Lil' Ruby Rose  #381911  Wed, 20 Jun 07 10:48 AM 'Preening' works for me here. Preening is what a bird does to clean itself and make its feathers look beautiful.  When we say preening about a person, it disparages someone who is proud of their appearance.  The mother in this passage was proud to say that she had no idea what could have led her child to become a murderer - surely, she felt, it had nothing to do with her.  Then when she recalled having broken his arm when he was a child, she began to realise that she did carry some responsibility for his violence.  In this context, I read "preening incomprehension" as "smug denial of responsibility".    Lil' Ruby Rose Joined on Wed, Dec 20 2006 West of England Regular Member (850) Enlightenment is always preceded by confusion.

	Anonymous  #381919  Wed, 20 Jun 07 10:55 AM Thank you! That makes sense.    Anonymous

	Feebs11  #381963  Wed, 20 Jun 07 12:09 PM A "smug denial of responsibility" is a very odd thing to lay claim to.    Feebs11 Joined on Thu, Nov 23 2006 UK Veteran Member (5,003)

	Lil' Ruby Rose  #382025  Wed, 20 Jun 07 01:29 PM How so?  The mother originally felt she bore no responsibility for her child's psychopathic behaviour - she denied responsibility, and felt reassured and guilt-free.  In retrospect, she realises she has contributed to this child's violent past.  Her former sense of reassurance she now realises to be misplaced and smug.    Lil' Ruby Rose