Completely random...

[katikat]

My little 25 fandoms project... 4 drabbles done - fandoms used: Heroes, Charmed, Psych and The Fast and the Furious - 21 drabbles to do...

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Could some English speaking person please explain the difference between the words SPIRIT and PHANTOM to me?

And out of curiosity - does the Impala have a bench seat in the front or two separate seats? I've seen it used both ways in fics...

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And I apologize for not replying much to my friends' entries these days. After translating for hours and then working in the garden, I'm dead in the evening when I finally have the time to read my LJ. But I do follow your LJ, folks *hugs friends* I will try to do better in the future :)

Comments

[arielhime.livejournal.com]

Hey darling... I was actually using an online dictionary for something I was working on when I felt like lookin' at LJ.

I just looked up the two words over on ninjawords.com and put them up here for you.



phantom
(n) : something apparently seen, heard, or sensed, but having no physical reality; a ghost or apparition; something elusive or delusive; an image that appears only in the mind; an illusion
(adj) : Illusive; Fictitious or nonexistent
synonyms: spirit, illusion, semblance

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spirit
(n) : the soul of a person; a supernatural being, often but not exclusively without physical form; ghost, fairy, angel
"school spirit is at an all-time high."


I usually use spirit with something with more of a soul - past or present. Phantom, I'll use as something sensed but not necessarily with a soul.


As for the Impala... I looked it up and it does have a bench seat. ^_^ If I walk by the Impala someone owns on my street, I'll double check for you. I've read it can seat 5 or 6 so I guess it depends.

I know I don't comment much but I do every once in a while. ^_^ *hugs*

Hope it helps!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, sweetie! It really helped. And bench seat, huh? I've never seen a car with a bench seat with my own eyes O.O

[extraonions.livejournal.com]

The two words are fairly synonymous, although they do have slightly different connotations.

Phantom is something that is heard/ seen/ sensed in some way but doesn't have a physical reality-- as in a ghost, but also as in, for example, a 'phantom pain' from an amputated limb. It can also mean an illusion or even something imagined within the mind, like a hallucination.

Spirit can also mean, of course, a ghost or other supernatural entity, but it has a lot of other meanings different than phantom. It can mean the vital force or soul within a living being, it can mean something's essential nature (e.g. good-spirited, mean-spirited), it can mean something unstated but significant (for example, following the spirit of the law, not just the letter of the law). Spirit is much more widely used and has many other uses besides.

I'm not sure if this gives you what you need, but I hope it helps?

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Aha! So, I will use phantom as a wraith, a ghost and spirit as in the spirit guide in The Sentinel for example *nods* Thank you :)

[umegaki.livejournal.com]

Since others have already explained the words I guess I won't (plus my brain is foggy anyway so I'd do a horrible job...)

And really, don't worry about commenting, to me at least. If you have other things to do and can't get around to a comment, that's just the way it is! Don't worry about it. ^^

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you, sweetie. My life is rather hectic these days *shakes head*

[klingonpoo.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Don't worry about not commenting. I'm sure everyone has times when they can't.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Yes, my life really is hectic these days *sigh*

[seraphim-grace.livejournal.com]

phantom is the french word for ghost (ie Phantom de la opera actually translates in the book as the opera ghost - OG)
but it is also a root of the word phantasm which is a creation of a fever dream or a hallucination which is horrific
it in turn leads to phantasmagoria - which is a the name for a cluster of phantoms and also magic shows of the turn of the 20C (like in the prestige)
a phantom is often seen as malevolent where a spirit is not
they are very similar meanings but in french it's more pejorative so I've always used it as a nasty ghost where spirit is more friendly or neutral as it were

hope this helps

[katikat.livejournal.com]

*nods* Okie, so I will use phantom as a wraith. Just what I needed for my drabble :)

[lostandalone22.livejournal.com]

The way you mean, there is no real difference. In general, spirit can also mean getting excited over something (i.e.- School Spirit, a very spirited person).

[katikat.livejournal.com]

I needed to know how to use it in my drabbles. So, I decided to phantom as a wraith, a ghost and spirit as a spirit guide :)

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

The way I understand the words, phantom is an apparition and spirit is a soul. More or less.

*hugs you*

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Exactly the way I used it in my drabble! Hurray :D Thank you, sweetie! *hugs*