Question

What is the literal meaning of "the wind combed their leaves into flying crests like a strange an fantastic coiffure".

Answer 1

Answer:

The literal meaning is that the wind created a hairstyle using leaves instead of hair.

Explanation:

The literal meaning of a sentence refers to the basic meaning of each word used in the construction of the sentence, regardless of the context to which it is applied, but rather its pure and simple meaning.

An example of this can be shown with the sentence presented in the question above. If we read this sentence without considering the literal meaning, but rather the context that it expresses, we would conclude that the phrase refers to the wind's ability to swing the leaves of the trees. However, interpreting the sentence in a literal sense, we would conclude that the wind uses the leaves to create strange but admirable hairstyles.