Unfurl vs spread (1)
<< Forum anglais: Questions sur l'anglais || En bas
Unfurl vs spread
Message de speedtiti posté le 27-08-2008 à 14:18:47 (S | E | F)
Hello,
I'm wondering whether to use "wings unfurled" or "wings spread"...
When I try to enter these words on a famous internet search engine, I get about 14000 hits for the first and 206000 hits for the second, so I assume that the second one is better, but is the first one also correct ?
Note : here, wings refers to the wings of a bird...
As a matter of fact, I've seen that "unfurl" is more specifically used in a shipping context but I'm puzzled as I previously used it in another context(with wings for instance).
Thanks a lot !
Réponse: Unfurl vs spread de TravisKidd, postée le 27-08-2008 à 19:55:03 (S | E)
I've only seen "unfurl" used with "flag". It essentially means to "unroll", to open by unrolling. But since it is mostly used with "flag" it carries a nuance of patriotism or glory. I think this sense would be compatible with a bird (especially an eagle) wanting to fly. But "spread" would work as well.
Réponse: Unfurl vs spread de speedtiti, postée le 04-09-2008 à 22:07:21 (S | E)
Sorry to answer so late, but I'm keen to thank you for your help !
Réponse: Unfurl vs spread de TravisKidd, postée le 05-09-2008 à 02:00:55 (S | E)
You're welcome! (In fact I'm surprised it's already been more than a week since I answered!)
