Here's a sample of Notes on Nuance moves we've covered this year.
"Too" (November 2021): Note how the word "too" can be placed at the beginning of a word, almost like a prefix, to communicate excess.
"By night, beneath a charming but too-dim sconce at a
too-small table, she staged various actions."
—Jonathan Franzen,
The Corrections (2001)
"Matched Only By" or "Equaled Only By" (August 2021): Note how the words "matched only by" or "equaled only by" can be used to set up a clever, compelling comparison.
"John and Margaret Gardiner lived in Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland, an hour’s drive from Glasgow. John was an ex-merchant seaman whose ability to dream big was
matched only by his ability to run up debts."
—Val McDermid,
Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime (2014)
“His bravery in action was
equaled only by his modesty in triumph, and his magnanimity to the vanquished.”
—Captain James Lawrence's Gravestone, Trinity Churchyard (1813)
"Bordering On" (June 2021): Note how the phrase "bordering on" lets you dance up against a more extreme adjective without fully committing to it.
"Yardbird was an instant hit in 2011, stayed popular, moved to a larger space last year, and has proved surprisingly influential. 'Yardbird has really changed the way front-of-house works in Hong Kong,' said Mr. Yu, the chef, who is originally from Taiwan. Before, he said, service here was stuck in an old-fashioned mode: either too deferential and formal (at expensive restaurants) or indifferent
bordering on neglectful (at cheap ones)."
—Julia Moskin, "Where the World's Chefs Want to Eat" (2019)
Noun as Verb (January 2020): Note how a noun can cleverly be used as a verb.
"The new way to burger."
—Advertisement for Smashburger
"This is how we Vegas."
—Advertisement for Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
