I came across the latter of those in the book I just finished. Luara Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods is a good book full of those fun details of a life lived differently from my own, which is something I enjoy reading about. It's a simple book, meant for younger readers, but I found it lively and not the least bit jarring or packed with head-whacking morals.
And then, I came across this line, which just made me smile and wish it were mine (the highest compliment I can pay to another writer):
Laura and Mary held tight to each other's hand, at the edge of the field, and watched with all their eyes.
"All their eyes." I just love it! I immediately pictures huge, round eyes staring for all they were worth, drinking in every drop of the scene. It's just a great phrase. And I love finding new turns of phrases. This one isn't even new . . . it was written over 80 years ago! That's even better, finding old turns of phrase that have fallen by the wayside. I can pick them up, dust them off, and give them a good home.
It's an odd hobby, I admit. Just ask me about my other one someday . . . collecting words that begin with "be," the less used the better! My favorite right now: betwixt, closely followed by beholden.
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