Posted by Jock on November 15, 2006 at 09:51:02 from 87.105.81.146 user Jock.
In Reply to: Re: lurking posted by Helen on November 15, 2006 at 06:42:32:
Thanks for the OED excerpt Helen. The link doesn't get us past the OED
log-on page, but your quote does the job.
I was wondering whether there was a slight difference in emphasis between
"lurking" and "hiding". I read "lurking" as a more active form of concealment -
staying hidden with the intention of doing something specific later e.g.
mounting an ambush, while I take "hiding" as a more passive form -
staying concealed until the danger had passed. Ed's quotes and the OED
definition shows that I was thinking on the right lines.
There's a circularity here. Some of my understanding of the English language
comes from reading AR books in the local library at the age of nine or so.
I remember puzzling over certain words, but persevering in the belief
that the meaning would eventually become clear. Now, half a century later,
thanks to Ed, PeterH and other TarBoarders any remaining ambiguities are
being resolved.