Quantum
One line in Captain America: The Winter Soldier near the beginning of the otherwise enjoyable film leaped out at me, grabbed me by the frontal lobe and started kicking me directly in my sense of disbelief.
"We need a quantum increase in military technology"
I am not sure that word, quantum, means what the movie thinks that it means.
The dictionary defines the word quantum (non-relevant contexts removed) as:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/quantum
quantum
Line breaks: quan|tum
Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒntəm /
NOUN (plural quanta /-tə/)
So we're talking about a discrete increase in military technology. A defined increase. To be honest, it starts to sound reasonable - not like the radical proposal that is being discussed. Why don't you just go and ask the world governments for that, [spoiler]? They could hardly say "no".
Comics have a history of taking "sciency" words and abusing them - if you read early Iron Man you'll gain a new appreciation for the power of transistors (they can make explosions bigger! Explosives smaller! Make you fly! etc. etc.) and the miracles of lasers are surely well known by now.
Anyway, it made me chuckle.
"We need a quantum increase in military technology"
I am not sure that word, quantum, means what the movie thinks that it means.
The dictionary defines the word quantum (non-relevant contexts removed) as:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/quantum
quantum
Line breaks: quan|tum
Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒntəm /
NOUN (plural quanta /-tə/)
- 1 Physics A discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the radiation it represents.
- 1.1 An analogous discrete amount of any other physical quantity, such as momentum or electric charge.
- 2 A required or allowed amount, especially an amount of money legally payable in damages:
the court must determine the quantum of compensation due - 2.1 A share or portion:
each man has only a quantum of compassion
So we're talking about a discrete increase in military technology. A defined increase. To be honest, it starts to sound reasonable - not like the radical proposal that is being discussed. Why don't you just go and ask the world governments for that, [spoiler]? They could hardly say "no".
Comics have a history of taking "sciency" words and abusing them - if you read early Iron Man you'll gain a new appreciation for the power of transistors (they can make explosions bigger! Explosives smaller! Make you fly! etc. etc.) and the miracles of lasers are surely well known by now.
Anyway, it made me chuckle.