Literary notes about Screamer (AI summary)
The term “screamer” is employed with remarkable versatility in literature. In some narratives it designates something or someone notable for a piercing, often defiant, outburst—be it the boisterous cry of a character, as when a man is labeled a “screamer” for his fierce, attention-commanding temperament [1, 2], or the slamming, noisy operation of a vessel or machine, as seen in descriptions of a ship’s mast rocking ominously or instruments emitting a clarion call [3, 4]. It can also function as a technical or scientific epithet, referring to a particular species identified by its striking physical characteristics [5], or settle into the casual, colloquial speech of everyday dialogue, where its use conveys both admiration and derision [6, 7]. This range of applications—from vivid character sketches to detailed mechanical observations—demonstrates the word’s ability to enrich narrative tone and subtly convey the intensity of sound, action, or personality [8, 9].
- Hurrah for Kentuck! and hurrah for Ralph Stackpole, for he ar' a screamer!"
— from Nick of the Woods; Or, Adventures of Prairie Life by Robert Montgomery Bird - "Did she now," said Frisco in admiration, "she was a screamer of a woman--not like my wife.
— from The Silver Bullet by Fergus Hume - He could see, too, the Screamer’s mast rocking ominously in the rising sea.
— from Caleb West, Master Diver by Francis Hopkinson Smith - Till the pumping of the Screamer could be heard a mile away.
— from Verses popular and humorous by Henry Lawson - The Derbian Screamer, Chauna derbiana , has two metacarpal spurs, borne on the first and second metacarpals.
— from The Vertebrate Skeleton by Sidney H. (Sidney Hugh) Reynolds - I 'ad 'im down to the smith 'tother day, sir, an' says 'e to me, says 'e, 'That's a screamer, that is.'
— from Snowflakes and Sunbeams; Or, The Young Fur-traders: A Tale of the Far North by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne - "I think we're going to have some more of Old Screamer Moll this evening.
— from The Best Short Stories of 1917, and the Yearbook of the American Short Story - Phil Parker also rapped a ferocious screamer across the infield, but hit into a double that ended the hopeful rally at bat.
— from Jack Winters' Baseball Team; Or, The Rivals of the Diamond by Mark Overton - That afternoon Mr. Winkle almost fell from his chair when he saw the evening edition of the Screamer with a three-column "interview" with himself.
— from A Thoughtless Yes by Helen H. (Helen Hamilton) Gardener