Does a “slightly shopworn body” mean that one is getting old, or getting fat?
Where’s he in the
mirror?
I wonder if it’s saying ‘His body is getting older’ or ‘His body is getting fat’?
Which is more reasonable?
The sentence is from a dictionary under the word shopworn ( adj.
) made dirty by being displayed or handled in a store: he brought
out some shopworn lettuce figure heappraised
his brown but slightly shopworn body in the mirror.
The word shopworn is a variant of worn, which is defined in the same dictionary as worn
( adjective ) damaged and shabby as a result of much use: a
worn, frayed denim jacket verytired of his face looked worn and old
What does old age necessarily mean? I think “of much need” is important – a man can be 80 and the word shopworn might not be a good fit. I find shopworn bodies a bit old, but feeling the effects of “much use.” ” Perhaps the subject worked as a laborer for several years, and his joints are achy and stiff. The word isn’t commonly used, so there are more common ones than expected.
I googled for “shopworn body”, and the search engine returned only one hit. That sentence refers to an aging boxer, which seems to confirm my conjecture. If you searched “his shopworn body", you get just three more results, all referring to career wrestlers or boxers. 40 is not necessarily old, but, in those sports, it’s plenty old enough for a professional athlete to become shopworn.
