Literary notes about pressing (AI summary)
The word "pressing" is used with a variety of nuances in literature, acting both as a literal description of physical pressure and as a metaphor for urgency. In many passages, it captures a tactile or emotional closeness—such as a character pressing his hand to his heart to express intense feeling [1] or drawing nearer to another to convey intimacy [2][3]—while in other contexts it signifies an imperative need or situation demanding immediate attention, as seen when characters refer to matters of critical importance [4][5][6]. Even in technical or modern contexts, the term portrays the act of applying pressure, whether it is a key being pressed [7][8] or a forceful advance in battle [9]. This flexible usage allows authors to enrich their narratives by conveying both physical sensations and metaphorical urgency.
- he says, pressing his hand to his heart and looking at me with a lover's rapture.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - She lingered, pressing closer to his side.
— from Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - "And—and," she said, pressing her cheek against his, "I fear that what you think of me now may not last.
— from Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman by Thomas Hardy - But no doubt these others answer pressing needs unique to the Nautilus .
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne - That thought actually drove out of my head the more pressing danger.
— from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge - And then, there still remained some petty but pressing debts in the neighborhood, and they were collecting the bills for them, etc., etc.
— from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo - * Macro commands (like in a word processor) for navigating through an online service, searching, and to send complex commands by pressing one key.
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - You stop the process by pressing the ESC key.
— from The Online World by Odd De Presno - Sending his reserves to retake the battery, he directed his attacking line, already pressing heavily on Winder, to fall back at once.
— from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
