Alan Alborough
WYSIWYG
corrode verb 1. iron objects corrode rapidly in damp conditions RUST, become rusty, tarnish, deteriorate, waste away, disintegrate, crumble, fragment, be destroyed, perish, spoil
2. bleach at this strength may corrode the container WEAR AWAY, wear down, eat away (at), gnaw away (at), bite into, burn into, burn through, erode, abrade, consume, dissolve, oxidise, oxidate; rust, tarnish, destroy, spoil.
stain verb 1. her clothing was stained with blood DISCOLOUR, blemish, soil, mark, muddy, spot, spatter, splatter, smear, splash, smudge, blotch, blacken; dirty, get/make filthy, sully, spoil, defile, pollute, contaminate, foul, befoul, grime, begrime; poetic/literary besmirch.
2. the awful events would unfairly stain the city’s reputation DAMAGE, injure, harm, sully, soil, blacken, tarnish, taint, besmirch, blemish, defile, blot, smear, bring discredit to, dishonour, drag through the mud.
3. wood can always be stained to a darker shade COLOUR, tint, dye, tinge, shade, pigment, varnish, paint, colour-wash.
noun 1. there were mud stains on my shoes MARK, spot, spatter, splatter, blotch, blemish, smudge, smear; dirt, foxing.
2. he has been discharged without a stain on his character BLEMISH, injury, taint, blot, blot on one’s escutcheon, slur, smear, discredit, dishonour, stigma; damage.
3. an exterior type of wood stain, TINT, colour, dye, tinge, shade, pigment, colourant; varnish, paint, colour wash.
observe verb 1. she observed that almost all the chairs were occupied NOTICE, see, note,
perceive, discern, remark, spot, detect, discover, distinguish, make out; poetic/literary espy, descry, behold.
- OPPOSITES: overlook, fail to see.
2. Rob stood in the hall, from where he could observe the happenings on the street WATCH, see, look at, eye, contemplate, view, survey, regard, witness, keep an eye on, scrutinize, keep under observation, keep a watch on, keep under surveillance, monitor, keep under scrutiny, watch like a hawk, keep a weather eye on, spy on, check out, reconnoitre; informal get a load of, keep tabs on, keep a beady eye on; Brit. informal clock, take a dekko/butcher’s/gander/shufti at, recce; N. Amer. informal eyeball; archaic twig; rare surveil.
3. ‘You look tired,’ she observed COMMENT, remark, say, mention, note, declare, announce, state, utter, pronounce, interpose, interject; formal opine.
4. the European Council called on the parties involved to observe the ceasefire COMPLY WITH, abide by, keep, obey, adhere to, conform to, heed, honour, respect, be heedful of, pay attention to, follow, acquiesce in, consent to, accept, defer to, fulfil, standby.
- OPPOSITES: disregard, ignore, break.
5. relations gathered to observe the funeral rites PARTICIPATE IN, partake in, be present at, celebrate, keep; commemorate, solemnize, mark, memorialize, remember, recognize.
The New Oxford Thesaurus of English (Oxford University Press, 2000)
Biography
Born in 1964 in Durban, Alborough has an MA Fine Art from Goldsmiths College, University of London (1997). He was until recently an Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Art at the University of Stellenbosch, leaving in July 2005 to work full-time as an artist. He won the Standard Bank Young Artist award in 2000, and the FNB Vita Art Prize in 2002. His most recent solo exhibition was as invited artist at the Sasol Art Museum in Stellenbosch in 2003/4; group exhibitions include A Decade of Democracy at the South African National Gallery (2004) and Lexicons and Labyrinths: Iconography of the genome at the South African Museum (2003).
See the artist's website: http://www.alanalborough.co.za