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Oct 13, 2013 at 2:28 comment added Nicole @snailboat I agree there is a possible register mismatch. But I also think it's possible that, in the right context, 'accrete' could give the statement about the 'chip on X's shoulder' a quality of commentary in addition to being merely factual or descriptive. The perceived formality of 'accrete' can sound as sarcastic, or snarky, perhaps even as impatience with a situation in development for some time. It could easily be overly formal, but sometimes the misapplication of formality can strike just the right tone, precisely because of the register mismatch.
Oct 12, 2013 at 0:56 comment added user28567 It seems to me that chip on X's shoulder is informal while accrete is formal, so you have a bit of a register mismatch in this answer.
Oct 11, 2013 at 23:31 history edited Nicole CC BY-SA 3.0
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Oct 11, 2013 at 23:26 history answered Nicole CC BY-SA 3.0