Arid & Aridity***

arid







–adjective 

1. being without moisture; extremely dry; parched: arid land; an arid climate. 

2. barren or unproductive because of lack of moisture: arid farmland. 

3. lacking interest or imaginativeness; sterile; jejune: an arid treatment of an [exciting] topic.  



Related forms:

aridity, aridness, noun



Synonyms:

1. See dry. 

3. tedious, dreary, vapid, uninspired, uninspiring.



Dry, arid both mean without moisture. 



Dry is the general word indicating absence of water or freedom from moisture: a dry well; dry clothes. 



Arid suggests great or intense dryness in a region or climate, esp. such as results in bareness or in barrenness: arid tracts of desert.





　

It's worth worrying about Léaud these days — as to whether he can do his best for directors other than Truffaut. Godard and Bertolucci have already brought out the aridity that also [withers] his persona in "The Mother and the Whore," and it's rather sad to see this dour, fatigued appearance so soon after hugely enjoying his skill in Truffaut's "Day for Night." But all we learn from his performance in this movie is that his right nipple twitches violently when he's dialing a phone.





scorch

superficial or slight burning

change of color or injury to the texture

to scorch a [dress] while [ironing]

singe

superficial or slight burning

that takes off ends or projections

to singe [hair] 

singe the [pinfeathers] from a [chicken]

Isaach De Bankolé in the lead are [hot] enough to singe so many art school pencil 'staches. 

broil

to broil a [steak]

charcoal

char

The fire charred the [paper].  

The flame charred the [steak].  

char[s], a char[woman]

with a slow zoom into the fresh-[charred] heart of a greasy, [gristle]-flecked beef [patty]. 

stumbling through a landscape of [incinerated] jeeps, charred [corpses], and oil wells blazing in the beyond-Coppola apocalyptic night. 

to haunting shots of the men examining the charred [remains] of Iraqi soldiers and burning oil wells lighting up the night sky that prompt Swoff to observe that "the Earth is bleeding, 



conflagration 

a destructive fire, usually an extensive one

A conflagration destroyed [Chicago].

Bean has built a [bonfire] of contradictions and the ensuing [conflagration] illuminates a bit of the world. 

crematorium

which seems like an invitation for a sackrace to the [nearest] crematorium.



precipitate

cataract 

slush

[romantic] slush

In the [snow] and [slush] of New Jersey

drizzle

Toward the end, Miss Lebrun has one long [drizzling] aria of remorse—about the futility of sex without love.

Lye