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feint

ktm

Senior Member
Macao - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Empire Portuguese colony in 1928. The powerful storm is coming. The tousands of rats were forced to scramble out of their holes, gutters etc.

I cant understant the meaning of "feinted" in the context showed below. No meaning from http://www.yourdictionary.com/feint seems to fit.
---
At the heart of the seafront, the restaurant in the Hotel Riviera, famous for its frescoed ceilings and spicy African Chicken, was overcome with panic. Pandemonium broke out. Voices clashed, bellboys feinted, elderly Macanese ladies shrieked with fright. Shouts of “Aiyaa!” and “Gow Meng!” reverberated from the top floor suites all the way down to the basement cellars.
I think there is a misspelling in your text, ktm. Try faint. 👁 Wink ;)
"Faint" fits well but as not native English speaker I am always afraid of any additional, colloquial meanings. It is always better to ask.
Thanks for your opinion.
My first inclination would be to see it as a misspelling of "faint".

However, it is possible that feint is correct: the bellboys pretended to attack the rats, but didn't really.
My first inclination would be to see it as a misspelling of "faint".

However, it is possible that feint is correct: the bellboys pretended to attack the rats, but didn't really.
Good point. There is something slightly incongruous about bellboys fainting, especially when the elderly Macanese ladies didn't.
Now that it's been pointed out, I'm not sure. But feinting in what sense then?
Hmmm, fainted seems more likely than feinted to me. I would (for some unknown reason) expect feinted to be followed by something ~ feinted shooing the rats away, feinted looking brave [?!] ~ it just feels kind of bare on its own. Also: feinted seems an odd choice of word to use if you're trying to convey something like the opposite of fainted?
Also: are not Macanese bellboys renowned for their nervous dispositions while their grannies are more known for being made of (slightly) sterner stuff?

Also: how often does one come across the verb feint anywhere?
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I vote for "fainted" too. It fits - to my mind - much better with "panic" and "pandemonium".

Like ewie, I'd need something to follow "feinted": otherwise I'm left with the question "feinted doing what?"👁 Confused :confused:
Feint may be used intransitively. From the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary:
feint intransitive verb : to make a feint.

feint noun: something feigned; specifically : a mock blow or attack on or toward one part in order to distract attention from the point one really intends to attack.
​
Nonetheless, I am not strongly committed to this interpretation (though personally, I find the image more humorous.)
Here is an example of its use without an object, meaning pretending or foxing.
"Are the Wallabies feinting?"
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2003/nov/13wall.htm
I am still inclined to go for the bellboys pretended to act important, myself. Having been to the Riviera Hotel in Macau, I just can´t believe the bellboys fainted but do agree that Macanese women can shriek.
By the way, where did rats come in (#4)? Gow meng just means "help" in Cantonese as I remember from years in Hong Kong.
Feint may be used intransitively. [...] Nonetheless, I am not strongly committed to this interpretation (though personally, I find the image more humorous.)
Yes, intransitive feint would work if the bellboys were doing something like this👁 Big Grin :D
👁 Big Grin :D


My vote remains unchanged!


(Lis, the "rats" comes from ktm's first paragraph👁 Wink ;)
)
I agree, LooLoo. In fact I reckon I would only ever use the word feint (verb or noun) while talking about fencing or boxing or one of those other sporty things I talk about all the time.
Yes, intransitive feint would work if the bellboys were doing something like this👁 Big Grin :D
👁 Big Grin :D

It is because I imagine the bellboys doing something like this that I find this interpretation more witty and amusing. It is a question of the tone of the piece as to whether this is a plausible interpretation. Is this kind of playful image the sort of thing you find elsewhere in the text? Who is the author?
For me that would be the answer too. Bellboys all rushing around trying to direct guests with actions similar to those used in fencing. That was the first image I got when I read the passage, a pandemomium scene from Giles came to mind with lots of arms waving in the air and women shrieking. A wonderfully calm, regal hotel and then thousands of rats appear. It seems to go with the use of the word "shriek" rather than a more controlled "scream."
I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one, o ye proponents of feint. I can certainly see how feint would be at least as funny as faint in the context, but the question remains for me "Feinted what?"

If the bellboys are doing this (hmm, nice pants), is it because the rats are flying round at upper-body level? If they're doing this (oh dear, no pants👁 Eek! :o
), is it because each rat comes armed with a teeny-weeny epee? And do I need to revise my opinion of Macanese bellboys?

Further, I'm having difficulty squaring the notion of feinting with pandemonium.

ALSO: the fact remains (in my head, at least) that if this is written for a 'general audience', a very large number of readers will no doubt look at it and chuckle to themselves, "Ooh look, he's misspelt faint", unaware that 'feint the fencing/boxing thing' is spelt with an e, or, quite possibly, that 'feint the fencing/boxing thing' even exists.

All in all, perhaps the author would have done better using either swoon or (erm) lunge.
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I favour the idea that it's a misspelling, although it's conceivably a play on words. The trouble is that, as has been pointed out, it's difficult to conjure up an image of exactly what the bellboys are doing if they're not fainting.
Yes, fainted for me too please. I don't agree with the premise above that bellboys are less likely to pass out under excitement than women. Women are usually emotionally stronger than boys. Also, as so many point out, feint what? It reminds me of prey and pray - easy spelling mistake to make.
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