Shallow Ground
Posted on January 15, 2008 - Filed Under ground
The Phrase
Shallow Ground is quite an interesting phrase in the American English Language. Not only does it have a practical use, but the practical use is almost never used for literal purposes. Instead, this phrase is quite often used poetically. Let’s take a closer look.
Defining Shallow
The word shallow originated from the Old English adjective schalowe, which essentially means lacking in depth or horizontal space. Shallow is definitely a reference to relevant space when making comparisons between objects. As a noun the word shallow refers to a place in a body of water that is less deep than most parts. In fact, the word shallow is most often used to describe a body of water that is not deep.
When used most commonly as a slang or morphed word, the word shallow is an adjective to describe a person who lacks in morals or character. Poetically, the word shallow is very popular because of it’s descriptive nature and various morphed meanings. In a poem, it can mean superficial or weak. For example, in a poem, the line ‘all the King’s men stand on shallow ground in this war’ might mean that the King’s soldiers are fighting for an ill cause or perhaps that they have no chance of winning.
Ground Defined
The word ground, which is a noun, comes from the Old English word grund which refers to a specific area, measurement or portion of earth, land or terrain. Because the word ground literally refers to the most common element, carbon, the word sometimes takes the connotation of seriousness or weight in the English language. For example the phrase, on solid ground means "a place of strength". For example, I have to get my feet on solid ground means "I need to become strong and settled again."
Ground is also the past tense form of the verb grind which means to take a solid object and beat or pressure that object into many. This can include breaking an object down into a dust.
Other uses for the word ground include playground, groundsmen, ground beef, ground transportation, ground shipping and grounded.
Combined
When you place the two meanings together, you have a literal definition: a measurement of land or space which lacks in depth or in comparison to another object, is shorter in horizontal space. A complex definition indeed, a simple example of literal shallow ground would be a small hole in the ground where a child might play. A deep hole would be the opposite of shallow.
Since the phrase shallow ground is most often used metaphorically and poetically in the English Language, it comes as no surprise that there was a horror movie made in 2004 which was named Shallow Ground. Not only does the title make reference to perhaps shallow graves, but poetic use of the word shallow has certainly given it power in provocation of emotion.
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