'shock of impact'? what does it mean?
This is an excerpt from my English textbook:
"At high speeds, falling cats have time to relax. They stretch out their legs like flying squirrels. This increases their air-resistance and reduces the shock of impact when they hit the ground."
After checking the dictionary, I found ‘shock’ and ‘impact’ have almost the same meaning. The phrase 'shock of impact' seems pretty odd and repetitive to me. So, is this phrase idiomatic? Why can't the author just write 'shock' or 'impact' instead?
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 5
2
This writer is using "impact" to refer to the event itself, the collision. He is using "shock" to refer to the sudden force, the blow, the possibly-harmful energy created by the impact.
These are within the normal range of meanings for each word.
"Shock of impact" is not an idiom.
To my (U.S. native) ear, all three possibilities--"lessen the shock of impact," "lessen the shock," and "lessen the impact" are all reasonable and natural. I'm not really sure which of the three is the best.
My feeling is that the "impact" is inevitable, because the cat is going to hit the ground no matter what, but the "shock" can be lessened, and therefore the phrase "shock of impact" makes sense.
1
Hello Gil,
This is quite a question but I will do my best. 'impact' is when one thing hits another. 'shock' is the effect of the impact. So because a cat is relaxed the 'shock', the damage which may be done is reduced.
Hope this helps
Bob
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shock - scroll down!
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