Quibble, Prevaricate, Eequivocate

quibble







Y

遁辭



D



–noun 

1. an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating (支吾;說謊), or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point at issue. 

2. the general use of such arguments. 

3. petty or carping criticism; a minor objection.  



–verb (used without object) 

4. to equivocate. (推諉)

5. to carp (吹毛求疵); cavil.  



—Synonyms 

1. evasion, equivocation, sophism (詭辯), shift, ambiguity.





　　

Some will quibble and cavil that the movie is too contrived: 



six books, six members, six sets of problems, six, six, six (and sex, of course). Contrivance is actually part of the appeal. One of the reasons we return to Austen, Dickens, Trollope and the estimable Mrs. Gaskell is that their novels are contrived. 





 

Here's my quibble: for someone who enjoyed favorable comparisons to the great Jimmy Stewart for so long, where are Hanks' late career stretches? Stewart was doing his best work ever in his late 40s and 50s. Has Hanks challenged himself at all since Cast Away which he made when was 44?





cavil (unnecessarily) 

carp

quibble 

prevaricate (mislead)

equivocate (ambiguous to mislead) 

cf. 

weasel fudge nudge 

subterfuge 

She regards her [subterfuge] as "a game that amuses me, even though it's dangerous,"

parry

to parry an embarrassing [question].  

as we watch the characters [thrust], [parry], and then [withdraw]





　

The Nun's Story is a moving, heartfelt drama, highlighted by an absolutely stunning central performance by the irreplaceable Audrey Hepburn. While some might quibble that a less "stellar" persona in the role might be truer to the original tale, the fact is that Nun has been conceived for the cinema in such a manner that a certain amount of star power is needed to [hold] the film together. 



Hepburn, of course, has no problem [fitting] that bill, but she does so much more than that, delivering some of the finest work of her esteemed career. She projects the inner turmoil of the character both [subtly] and [overtly], but never in a manner that feels like "acting." More importantly, she realistically [conveys] both the character's strong [pull] to her faith and her resistance to the same, so that the viewer keeps guessing till the end which one will win out. 



It's a superb performance, aided by sensitive direction from Fred Zinnemann and a screenplay full of strong moments from Robert Anderson. Yet both Zinnemann and Anderson must also take some blame [for] the film's weaknesses, [chief] among them the fact the character's initial decision to go into the convent is never gone into. 



Modern audiences may also feel that the film [shies] away from examining the morality of some of the demands within the order, although audiences at the time of its release felt it was bold just to bring up the issue at all. Zinnemann occasionally lets the pace flag, but he presents some stunning visuals and is blessed with a lovely cast. (Watch for a powerful Colleen Dewhurst in the mental institution.) If Nun has its flaws, it's still affecting and stirring.