Word of the Week: Foil
foil
noun
a person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another : the earthy taste of grilled vegetables is a perfect foil for the tart bite of creamy goat cheese.
Each week I’ll post a word, it’s meaning and why it means something to me. At least why I chose that word. I remember “foil” as a literary concept from a literature class in high school. I think we were reading Hamlet. The idea is that a secondary character is introduced at the beginning of the story as a sort of “mate” of the protagonist. Near the end, that character shows up again and, as a foil, shows us how much the hero has evolved. I assume the same thing happens when you catch up with some old friends in those high school reunions.
Have you ever seen an old friend as a foil? Have you ever felt like someone else’s foil? What is it like?
A word in Spanish coming soon. By the way, what’s the word for foil in Spanish?
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