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In the show Dexter (about Miami police), there is a scene where a detective stands outside the door of his lieutenant boss, wanting to be invited in. He keeps staring down at the boss until she finally looks up, smiles and says , "You are looming," and then he smiles too.
Strictly speaking , the word 'looming' accurately describes the man, physically standing big over the sitting woman. But the expression in that context clearly represents a different meaning, something like 'You are having pent up issues you are dying to say to me.'
The casual and clean cut way the line is delivered makes it sound like a most common expression. Not to my experience. Is there some meaning to 'looming' I am missing here? Some police jargon?
Google's definition seems typical:
Looming probably most often refers to something threatening, but I think that mountains can loom simply by being big and immoveable, rather than menacing. It doesn't sound as though the lieutenant is threatened by the detective. Her "You are looming." says, "I've seen you hanging around out there. It's obvious you want something, and that you're not going to leave until you at least have a chance to get it. So what do you want?" With the smile, she says it in the nicest and briefest possible way. Well, she could have said, "Yes?", but this way is friendlier, more familiar. It may be a bit unusual, but I find nothing strange in this usage, and have in fact used it just this way. Of course, I thought I was being clever, but not outrageously so.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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