English Language & Usage Asked by Shelby Moore III on May 1, 2021
I have observed the use of the term ‘inkblot’ in online forums for criticizing writing which is deficient in coherent logic and/or elucidation, e.g. “your incoherent inkblots notwithstanding.”
In this usage it may insinuate the writer is clueless or unaware (e.g. of salient facts) in addition to or instead of implying weak articulation or scholarship.
The metaphor is of written text being as informative as an inkblot.
Yet I don’t find this meaning listed on any online dictionary or slang dictionary accessible via my Google searches.
Can anyone corroborate the (in?)significance or degree of prevalence of this distinct metaphorical usage and/or cite any examples online or in printed media?
Thank you. I want to check my sanity. Am I hallucinating?
An inkblot is inherently incoherent, being simply the result of blotting up excess ink resulting from writing with a pen using liquid ink.
Inkblots have been used in psychological tests. The earliest one was the Rorschach test: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_test.
Answered by Xanne on May 1, 2021
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