Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BROWN STUDY

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connect today's word to others: Here's Watson, narrating in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes: Finding that Holmes was too absorbed for conversation, I had tossed aside the barren paper, and leaning back in my chair, I fell into a brown study. Suddenly my companion's voice broke in upon my thoughts. Thanks to the Internet Archive, we can see what it looks like to be in a brown study--there's Watson on the right:   Note the face, serious yet daydreamy. To fall into a brown study is to sink deep into your thoughts, especially when those thoughts are gloomy and grim. Why brown, though? Poets use the word brown to describe twilight and dusk ("I watch the twilight falling brown"--Tennyson), and so eventually the color took on a figurative meaning of "gloomy" or "dusky." So a brown study is a gloomy study: a grim, dark, dusky state of thoughtfulness. Now that we've explained the brown in brown study, see if you can explain... 1. the red in red-letter, 2. the gray in gray eminence, 3. the white in whitewash, and 4. the noire (black) in bete noire. make your point with... "BROWN STUDY" To be deep in thought is to be "in a study." That's an old-fashioned phrase that we don't hear much these days. And to be in a brown study is to be in a state of deep, serious, often gloomy thoughtfulness. Pronunciation: BROWN STUD ee Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one brown study or multiple brown studies.) Other forms: Just the plural, "brown studies." How to use it: This term is formal, so use it to be serious or mock-serious. Talk about a person being in a brown study. You might fall into a brown study, or something can lead you into a brown study, put you into a brown study, bury you in a brown study, pull you from your brown study, arouse you from your brown study, and so on. And you can stand around in a brown study, sit there in a brown study, rest your chin in your hands in a brown study, etc. Finally, your brown study might be about something: "he fell into a brown study about the issue," "what's she in a brown study about now?" examples: She would rather make a quick decision than linger for hours in a brown study. Edward Cullen is one of those brooding characters known for sitting in a brown study, sullen and silent, and somehow he's supposed to seem mysterious and irresistible. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "brown study" means when you can explain it without saying "a state of being deep in thought" or "a gloomy reverie." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "After (some serious or disappointing event), I (walked, drove, or rode) home in a brown study, wondering _____." Example: "After I had to end the lesson early, I drove home in a brown study, wondering what I could have done differently to get the student's behavior under control." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Uncommon Opposites! In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite. For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph." We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready? From our previous issue: A hominist is an advocate for men’s rights. What’s the opposite? Answer: A feminist. Try this today: An exclosure is a boundary that keeps out unwanted animals. What’s the opposite? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of IN A BROWN STUDY is A. IN A BLUE FUNK. B. WITH A BLANK MIND. C. LIKE AN OPEN BOOK. 2. He woke from his brown study long enough to answer the question, but his mind was still _____. A. drowsy B. heavy with worry C. gleefully in the clouds Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B