I saw this phrase used in this New Yorker article.
I think I understand it intuitively, especially with the help of google images, but I'd like to know for sure.
asked Jul 6 '11 at 15:08
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re the close vote. This is a good question, simply looking up cavernous in the dictionary would suggest a room like a cave = dark rough, crude and cramped. Rather than it's normally figurative meaning of very very large.– mgbJul 6 '11 at 16:01
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@Martin Beckett: i.e. like a cavern.– user1579Jul 6 '11 at 16:32
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If you are a spelunker, cave has an image of tight, cramped, dirty and uncomfortable, not cathedral like!– mgbJul 6 '11 at 16:39
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2Sorry, looking up "cavernous" should lead you to "cavern", not "cave".– user1579Jul 6 '11 at 16:46
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It means that the room is very large, and open (even empty). High-ceilinged, and not cozy. Echoing might add to the effect.
- being, resembling, or suggestive of a cavern.
- a cave, especially one that is large and mostly underground.
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1Absolutely. I doubt very much that the writer in this case intended any troglodyte associations such as primitive, dark, underground. Large, opulent, light, and sparsely-furnished, more likely. Jul 6 '11 at 15:20
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