Literary notes about scrawny (AI summary)
The term "scrawny" is frequently deployed in literature to paint vivid images of frailty, underscoring a character’s or object’s malnourished, lean qualities. Authors use it to evoke both physical weakness and, sometimes, a subtle humor or irony. For instance, it can describe the spindly motion of a character as he gestures with his scrawny arms in a commanding manner [1], or set apart a character as notably slight compared to sturdier figures [2], [3]. Often, the word contrasts with more robust or lush descriptions, as when a thriving garden is compared to scrawny, neglected plants [4], or when a lean, desperate creature is presented against the backdrop of hearty life [5], [6]. In these varied contexts, "scrawny" becomes a concise shorthand for emphasizing vulnerability and the stark physicality of the subject, adding depth and contrast to the narrative.
- He uttered a few words apparently of command, then waved his scrawny arms toward the house.
— from The Blue Envelope by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell - "Tha'rt not nigh so yeller and tha'rt not nigh so scrawny.
— from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - But she was none of your scrawny chicks for all that; she was as plump as a swan swimming in a lake, and firm as a roe-deer running in the forest.”
— from Marie Grubbe, a Lady of the Seventeenth Century by J. P. (Jens Peter) Jacobsen - The garden left to itself will bring forth weeds and scrawny plants, but the flower-beds nurtured carefully will blossom into fragrance and beauty.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - One day While Fang encountered a young wolf, gaunt and scrawny, loose-jointed with famine.
— from White Fang by Jack London - White Fang’s teeth drove into the scrawny throat.
— from White Fang by Jack London
