dry light
- noun
:
luz dura
- The sun shed a dull, dry light on the narrow street; everything looked like exactly what it was.
Examples
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The photographer took advantage of the dry light during the late afternoon, capturing sharp shadows.
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The artist preferred to paint in a dry light to emphasize the textures of the landscape.
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On the overcast day, the buildings appeared under a dry light that highlighted their detailed architecture.
Synonyms
1
4.4
Light from a hidden source that reflects off ceilings and walls to make a soft, even glow
Light that is white and gentle, not harsh on the eyes
Antonyms
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'dry' modifying 'light', so there is a visible link to the constituents; however the photographic sense ('stark/harsh or non-reflective light') is a specialized, figurative extension that a B1 learner who only knows the basic senses of 'dry' (not wet) and 'light' (brightness) is unlikely to predict. Because the meaning depends on domain-specific usage and a non-literal sense of 'dry', the expression is partially but not fully transparent.
Etymology
Dry light may come from the image of clear, dry air: when the air is dry, the light looks sharp and crisp, with strong shadows and little soft glow. So, it now describes 'light that is stark or harsh and shows true colors without glare'.