brown study
1
9.9
- noun
- Archaic
:
ensueño
- He was in a brown study, pressing his nose and staring into the distance.
Examples
-
Belden, who appeared to spend much of his time in a brown study, followed them and left Daine to bring up the rear alone.
Fiction book (1994) -
"Daine, I have a tremendous favor to ask," he said finally, coming out of his brown study.
Fiction book (1994) -
Why the dark brown study, Hilda?
-
Sidney collapsed out of her brown study and stared up at the face.
Fiction book (1997) -
"Allegra shot a quick look at Isobel, who seemed lost in a brown study."
Fiction book (1991) -
A brown study.
Fiction book (1995) -
True, he had a habit of falling into brown studies... ...of wrestling with some problem that took him far away from where he stood.
-
"Do you wish me to include a copy of this forged letter to Lord Dalmar?" Somerset fell into a brown study.
Fiction book (1990) -
But for this Reuben and her sense of his needs, she'd have continued her brown study with, in and on your smile, as on her way home; seen nothing, heard nothing, a cart led by a horse; been suspended with us and learned once more how to fly without fear and been ready much earlier to take you home.
Fiction book (1994) -
She often gazes out of the window, lost in a brown study about her future.
Synonyms
1
4.2
Focusing very seriously on something in your mind
A quiet state of deep, serious thinking
Antonyms
How Absorbed
Surface Forms
Morphology
brown + study
The phrase 'brown study' is an idiomatic, somewhat archaic noun meaning a state of deep absorption; the color adjective 'brown' does not transparently contribute to that sense and the overall meaning cannot be derived by combining the literal meanings of 'brown' and 'study'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would be unlikely to predict this specialized idiomatic sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Brown study may come from an old picture of someone sitting alone in a quiet room, where brown gives a dark, thoughtful mood and study is the private place for thinking. That's why brown study now means 'being lost in deep, dreamy thought'.