gryster (gryster) wrote in linguaphiles,
gryster
gryster
linguaphiles

possible misprint, or just unusual expression?

Edit:
Solved! Thank you so much for your replies.


I'm trying to translate an excerpt from a novel, and I'm stumped by this phrase:

"It was still dark out, the sheers were shrouded in moonlight."

There is no real context to explain "sheers" here. For scissors etc, I'm fairly certain that "shears" would be the expected spelling? And it would make no sense for "shears" to be the object described, either. So it's probably not that.

I've found a reference in a dictionary that this MIGHT, possibly, once-in-a-blue-moon, be used as a noun to describe sheer fabrics. Has anyone seen this word used in this sense before?

The problem is partly that it would make a lot of sense in the context of the scene for it to be "sheets", but I don't want to just assume that it's a typo because I'm unfamiliar with the phrase.

What do you think? Would "sheer fabric" (probably curtains here, the character is looking out of the window) be a likely candidate? Or do you think it is a typo?
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