How would folks here, in a single sentence, refer to the shape of something as shark-like?
I checked in the dictionary under shark and came up with a biological class named "cucullia", so I thought to construct the word "cucullian". But I've just found I accidently took that from shark-moths. Obviously not the stream-lined shape I wish to convey.
I've checked now the scientific classifications for sharks - the sub-order is Elasmobranchii, and the sharks are in the squalomorphii division.
But somehow "squalomorphic" doesn't really conjure up the sleek image, does it?
posted
Are you looking for mere shape description or are you using "shark-like" to convey an ominous/dangerous aspect as well?
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
I was looking for something for the shape. Also considered cacharadonian. But I figured today on leaving the emphasis and allowing the reader to shape it more themselves with just basic info.
posted
Um… as unique and intriguing as words like “squalomorphic” and even the now rejected “cucullian” sound, if I saw them in a sentence of fiction, I wouldn’t get shark-like out of it. A shark fanatic might or someone with a fluent understanding of biological classification terms, but to this un-shark educated person, “squalomorphic” only gives me impression that it is something that changes somehow (the “morphic” part). If there are sharks in this world you’re using, would it not just be a lot clearer to say something along the lines of “it had sleek, powerful lines (or angular proportions, or whatever most shark-like quality of it you are trying to convey) reminiscent of a shark” or something more to that effect. That's still keeping it to a one sentence description.
Posts: 652 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I like the sleek powerful lines... perhaps sharply angular... You really can go a lot of different ways with it. Why a shark, btw? For instance, perhaps a snake might work; ie, I could see how you could say that (hypothetically) "it reminded him of a snake blown to gargantuan proportions, with sleek powerful lines that emphasized its..." See where I'm going?
Posts: 306 | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Thanks for the comments, folks. Funny how trying to describe even simple seeming irregular shapes can be so challenging. Think I'm on top of it now, anyhow.
[This message has been edited by Chronicles_of_Empire (edited July 13, 2002).]
posted
Brian, the only problem I can think of for you just saying "shark-like" is if your point of view character doesn't know what a shark is. If said character does know, why try to use anything else? (Would this pov character tend to use multisyllabic words? The most important thing about description is to do it the way the point of view would do it.)
If your character doesn't know sharks (from another planet, from the future, whatever), then you have to come up with a description that fits what the pov would know.
"It was long and sleek, like a needlefish."
"It glided along like a flexibullet, only slower."
posted
Gotto go with Kolona on this. 'Shark-like' says it all. And if, as KDW suggests, you can't USE the work shark but you still want to get across the 'sharkiness' of what you're looking at, just remember a shark's most prominent feature . . . its fin. (And the funny Jaws music, but I don't think a musical score would really work in a book.)
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