in the interstice
- idiom
- Literature
:
en el intersticio
- Light filtered through the interstices of the blinds, creating stripes on the floor.
Examples
-
Rather, it developed independently in the interstices of federal regulation.
Academic text (2002) -
Man composed his own figure in the interstices of a fragmented language.
Academic text (1995) -
It was clear that a lot of business was done in the interstices of the festival's ritual activities.
Academic text (2006) -
Deep in the interstices of modern science were egalitarianism, hedonism, utilitarianism, and pacifism.
Academic text (1995) -
This generation, alienated by the culture of terror, cut off from models and teachers, deprived of the collective memory of Arcadian Uruguay, will seek to find its own image in the interstices of unanimous silence.
Academic text (1991) -
The seeds fell into the interstice between the stones, where they found a chance to grow.
-
She noticed a small insect hiding in the interstice between the two books on the shelf.
Synonyms
1
9.8
A small narrow space between things where dust or air can pass
1
6.8
A space between two things
A small space between parts of an object
In small spaces between things or parts
In the space between things mentioned
Antonyms
How Narrow
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + the + interstice
The phrase simply combines the locative preposition 'in' with the noun 'interstice' (a small gap) and a definite article, so its meaning 'inside a narrow space between things' is directly derived from the constituents. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, and the composition is a basic spatial pattern common across languages, making it transparent to a learner who already knows the words.
Etymology
In the interstice comes from an old word for a tiny space called an interstice, meaning 'between' two things, like the narrow gap where dust, keys, or coins can hide. So saying something is in the interstice means it is stuck in a small space between other things.