[HPFGU-OTChatter] British -> American "Translation", Please

[Doreen]

Jim
I am not British, but my dictionary says it means,
1. to make confused; bewilder
2. to occupy the attention of; absorb

That is pretty much what I have always thought it meant ... like to be lost
in thought.
Doreen

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Flanagan" <jamesf at alumni.caltech.edu>
To: <HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 10:48 AM
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] British -> American "Translation", Please


I'm confused by the British use of the adjective "bemused,"
as it is used to describe a person's facial expression or
overall attitude. I suspect that most Americans (at least those
without a degree in English) would take this to mean "slightly
amused," or perhaps "self-satisfied."

However, after encountering forms of the word several times in the HP
books, as well as in CS Lewis, it appears, contextually, to
mean a "passive" or "spaced-out" expression or attitude.

I don't have the OED-online, so can someone clue me in on the British
understanding of "bemused?"

-Jim



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