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giving or finding
Mar 12, 2015 06:04
9 yrs ago
15 viewers *
English term

fade in and out

English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Turning off the car he falls silent but no motion to open the door.Sera waits for something to happen."Umm,"she starts, trying to break the silence gently,"we can stay here in the car for an hour if you want, but I really have to go then, It's your time."
"Right,"he says."Sorry. I tend to fade in and out lately." Finding this quirk genuinely amusing, he smiles."I'll get your door."

What kind of quirk it is?I can't understand it.
Responses
4 +11 have moments when his attention wanders
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Lara Barnett, Yvonne Gallagher

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Discussion

Charles Davis Mar 12, 2015:
@Terry You threw me there; you're thinking of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This is from Leaving Las Vegas, by John O'Brien, who also wrote the script for the film (in which Sera is played by Elizabeth Shue). Ben (Nicolas Cage), the one who fades in and out, is an alcoholic drinking himself to death. So not so far from old Hunter, really.
Terry Richards Mar 12, 2015:
It already is a book. By Hunter S. Thompson. And there is a Sera in it.

If the character in the car is Hunter (or based on him), fading in and out would be entirely in character and could well cause him amusement.

I really must read that book one of these days.
Charles Davis Mar 12, 2015:
This is very like the script of Leaving Las Vegas. It may be a book based on the film. If so, the fading in and out is drink-related.

I don't think it's all that strange to call it a quirk, personally, and I don't think we need to look any further.
Carol Gullidge Mar 12, 2015:
2 Terry Indeed, as the A said to the B ;))
Carol Gullidge Mar 12, 2015:
without any context we can only assume that Tony's straightforward answer is the correct one!

@ Asker: if this is not the case, then you really do need to post the context: who are these people, what are they doing, the plot of the story, register, etc, etc. What do you think the story is trying to say? Without this, you cannot realistically expect an informed answer; much as we'd like to help, we're just shooting in the dark!
Terry Richards Mar 12, 2015:
At least it wasn't an actress and a bishop :)
Carol Gullidge Mar 12, 2015:
earlier text I seem to remember that the "Pun" text also featured a prostitute and a taxi driver...
Carol Gullidge Mar 12, 2015:
Quirk This does seem a bit odd, and leaves you wondering whether "fade in and out" might indeed be some innuendo after all.
Is this the same book that had the rather weak "pun" that so amused the protagonist a few weeks ago, or am I confusing this with another Asker and another text?
Terry Richards Mar 12, 2015:
Quip? Fading in and out isn't really a quirk. Could it be a typo for "quip" - her remark?

Responses

+11
49 mins
Selected

have moments when his attention wanders

I think the idea here is that there are moments when his attention wanders and then comes back... he 'fades out' because he starts not properly paying attention (perhaps distracted, thinking of something else...) and then 'fades in' again when his attention returns to the present time and place.

We do not know from the context given whether this is in some way linked to some medical condition, or perhaps to his general preoccupations and distracted air.

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Note added at 5 heures (2015-03-12 11:06:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think as you say 'quirk' is rather oddly used here — but I am assuming that 'he' recognizes that this 'momentary absence' is something of a quirk, which amuses him; if the scenario is indeed as I imagine, that he is with a prostitute whom he is going to be paying by the hour, then it may be the fact that even in such a situation, he still manages to be asent-minded that he considers is a quirk and finds amusing; after all, most people in that situation might be expecetd to be totally concentrated on the matter in hand (so to speak!)
Peer comment(s):
agree Giusi N. : Fade in and fade out are used in filming (see: Merriam-Webster's examples). Tony's suggestion is OK.
14 mins
Thanks, Giusi!
agree Charles Davis
25 mins
Thanks, Charles!
agree Terry Richards : I think this is the right definition for the phrase but why would he refer to it as a "quirk" and, even if he did, why would he find it amusing? See my discussion entry.
1 hr
Thanks, Terry! Please see note i'm going to add above...
agree magdadh
1 hr
Thanks, Magdah!
agree Carol Gullidge
2 hrs
Thanks, Carol!
agree Arabic & More
3 hrs
Thanks, Amel!
agree B D Finch : He probably finds it an amusing "quirk" because of its inappropriateness to the situation.
4 hrs
Thanks, B! :-) Yes, that's the way I see it, at any rate...
agree Heather Walker (X)
9 hrs
Thanks, Heather!
agree Lara Barnett
16 hrs
Thanks, Lara!
agree Yvonne Gallagher : also not convinced about "quirk" but yes to standard meaning of phrase. Asker can't be bothered to give the context so this will have to do...
18 hrs
Thanks, G! I don't even think it's particualrly context dependent; I believe it is just the author's 'quirky' use of language ;-)
agree Phong Le
23 hrs
Thanks, Phong Le!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
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