0

I just found an interesting usage of scream which I couldn't locate its meaning in dictionaries. Two examples are as follows:

When the speaker (who is a journalist) wore a wrinkly blouse, she said:
This doesn't scream real deal news reporter. This screams sad, frumpy lady with no mirrors in her house.

When the speaker wanted to introduce a very cute picture:
If this doesn’t scream cute I don’t know what does.

I couldn't locate the meaning of it in dictionaries. Are the two scream in the two sentences the same? Do they mean "represent" here?

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    It's a common enough usage of the word "scream" that I'm surprised it isn't in dictionaries. I just checked the Oxford, and it's not there. Quite odd
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 24, 2021 at 3:02
  • 1
    It's an emphatic version of things like The way you dress says a lot about you.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 24, 2021 at 15:23

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4

They are slang based on a metaphor. The meaning is “imply with such force that the implied conclusion should be immediately apparent.”

The metaphor is between implied meaning and explicit speech. A subtle implication becomes a “whisper,” and an obvious implication becomes a “shout.”

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    Yep. In Frank's first example, the journalist would like to wear clothes that strongly and clearly give the clear impression she's a serious journalist, but the shirt she had instead made it clear she wasn't special. In the second, the picture is so cute it's unmistakable.
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 24, 2021 at 3:02

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .