Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CARAPACE

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explore the archives: If a carapace is a shell, why not say "shell" instead of "carapace"? Why bother even considering "carapace"? I agree that the short, simple word beats the longer one in most cases. I almost decided not to write about "carapace." But as a metaphorical noun, it's too valuable to ignore.  It's the same story with em_____. That is, you could instead say "flow" or "shine" and live blissfully unaware of the word em_____, but I think it's too beautiful and graceful to miss. make your point with... "CARAPACE" A carapace is a creature's hard, protective covering. Turtles, crabs, lobsters, and some insects have carapaces.  More generally, a carapace is something that reminds you of a hard, protective outer covering, such as someone's attitude or something's appearance. Pronunciation: CARE uh pace 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 carapace or multiple carapaces.) Other forms: carapaces, carapaced, carapacial How to use it: We'll focus on the figurative usage, since not too many of us are biologists! Any person or thing might be said to have a carapace, meaning a more obvious quality that hides or protects whatever is underneath. Often you talk about a carapace of something: "She maintained her carapace of terse politeness." Leave out the "of" if you prefer: "Beneath its garish carapace, the city's tourism is dying." "Quiet intelligence lies under his gruff carapace." examples: His carapace of confidence is only thickening as he fails. How odd. Years of writing formulaic five-paragraph essays have hardened into a carapace around these students. I hope their real voices will emerge. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "carapace" means when you can explain it without saying "facade" or "shell." try it out: Think of someone you know who keeps himself or herself closed off from other people--someone who always acts gruff, grouchy, humorless, macho, indifferent, or cold. Fill in the blanks: "Not even _____ could pierce (someone)'s (particular type of) carapace." Example: "Not even the hilarity of Captain Underpants could pierce this child's stony carapace." 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. This month, we’re playing with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What is the 1 anagram for HOTTER? Answer: TOTHER. Meaning "the other," "tother" is a word you'll see in dialect: "Not that one! Tother one!" Try this one today: What are the 2 anagrams for RIGHTS? review today's word: 1. The closest opposite of CARAPACE is A. HEART B. CLOAK C. SPELL 2. Hate mail _____ his carapace of professionalism. A. inflates B. deflects off C. stirs up Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B