The first harbingers of Christmas arrive in October when jarring sales and decorations follow fast on the heels of summer.
Does the word jarring here mean annoying, or early/preliminary?
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
jarring (adjective): causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness
the jarring news that major financial institutions were on the verge of collapse.
disagreeable to one's aesthetic or artistic sense
the final chord of that song is too jarring for me.
answered Jan 11, 2014 at 18:26
-
could you please specify what do you mean by unexpectedness here if sales and decoration start in October in USA every year? Commented Jan 11, 2014 at 20:08
-
1@Vladimir - Christmas is at the end of December. We expect to see decorations go up after another major holiday, Thanksgiving, which falls towards the end of November. To see Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving is something that is offensive, as it is pushing the materialistic aspect of Christmas, and we all complain about it, every year. We expect that any time now, they'll have Christmas sales starting in July (actually, they do. They're called, "Christmas in July" sales.) Commented Jan 11, 2014 at 20:45
-
@Susan thanks for explanation! I couldn't believe that Christmas sales start way before Christmas :) probably it's more cultural question than linguistic. Commented Jan 11, 2014 at 21:03
Jarring implies "opposite if comfortable". Its negative in the sense its an uncomfortable or disjointed sale process.
