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 #2 (permalink) Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:58 pm 'decide to contrive'? |
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It can mean both 'attempt' and 'succeed in the attempt':
1. to plan with ingenuity; devise; invent: The author contrived a clever plot.
2. to bring about or effect by a plan, scheme, or the like; manage: He contrived to gain their votes.
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 Mister Micawber
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| #3 (permalink) Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:57 am 'decide to contrive'? |
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Hi MM,
I understand that the word can have both meanings. Please have a look at this excerpt:
| Quote: |
contrive[b]
verb (formal)
[V to inf] to manage to do sth in spite of difficulties: She contrived to spend a couple of hours with him every Sunday evening. ◆ Somehow they contrived to live on her tiny income.
[b] [VN] to succeed in making sth happen in spite of difficulties: I decided to contrive a meeting between the two of them.
[VN] to think of or make sth, for example a plan or a machine, in a clever way: They contrived a plan to defraud the company. |
=> In the original sentence I posted, 'contrive' has the meaning of 'succeed in managing', not 'managing'...
Many thanks,
Nessie.
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Nessie
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| #4 (permalink) Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:00 am 'decide to contrive'? |
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=> In the original sentence I posted, 'contrive' has the meaning of 'succeed in managing', not 'managing'...
To me, contrive means "using clever planning, to arrange" in your sentence.
I decided to contrive a meeting.
I decided, using clever planning, to arrange a meeting.
?*I decided, using clever planning, to contrive a meeting. |
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Molly
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| #5 (permalink) Sun Sep 21, 2008 15:43 pm 'decide to contrive'? |
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| nessie wrote: |
In the original sentence I posted, 'contrive' has the meaning of 'succeed in managing', not 'managing'...
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Rather than "succeed in managing", I would plump for Mister M's "attempt" + second definition; thus:
1. I decided to [bring about] a meeting [by a plan, scheme, or the like].
The decision is to make the attempt to do so. As you rightly imply, the example in the dictionary isn't very good, as it requires a further explanation. It would have been simpler to replace "I decided to contrive" with "I contrived".
Best wishes,
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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