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An engineer's version of the tightly crafted allusory phrasing book authors love.
by phasetransition 7y ago
An engineer's version of the tightly crafted allusory phrasing book authors love.
- misterman0 7y agoI just wanted to let you know that your post is #1 on Google if you search for the phrase "allusory phrasing". I was wondering, what does it mean?
- scarejunba 7y agoHe means this concept https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allusion
- phasetransition 7y agoAllusory is an adjective that means "making allusion." What I mean is phrasing that makes allusions. You'll find it in writing as a tool to expand meaning, change tone, add connotation, etc. It can lose power and clarity when the reader is unfamiliar with the underlying references. Here, the writing brings in an aerodynamics concept (coffin corner), a famous bit of psychology about cognitive biases (Dunning Kruger), and a trueism about doubting one's own capacity (imposter syndrome). Personally, the reference to coffin corner adds richness to the writing. It is from a completely different discipline, less commonly referenced in HN context than the other two, and immediately gives me a sense of greater breadth about the author's experiences.