A glimpse can be a clue or a sign.
The first thing we have to make clear is the etymological origin of the term glimpse that concerns us now. In that case, it must be stated that it is a word that comes from Latin, exactly from atisbar . This verb derives from the adjective vistus , which is synonymous with “seen”.
Atisbo is the act of peeking : to glimpse, to look demurely. The concept is also used as a synonym for glimpse (a suspicion or conjecture).
The glimpse, a sign
The most common use of the notion is associated with the sign or indication of something. For example: “The president's announcement erased all signs of optimism in the economy,” “There is still some glimmer of hope, but we know that the situation is very complicated,” “The Czech player did not show signs of fatigue.”
Suppose a journalist conducts an interview with a mayor who was convicted of an act of corruption. In the talk, the politician affirms that ambition led him to make mistakes and, through tears, he acknowledges that he suffers constantly since he understood that he misappropriated public funds that were going to be allocated to people who needed help from the State . For the journalist, the note shows a “glimmer of regret” in the mayor: his words and attitude reflect that the man is sorry for having committed the crime in question.
In conversation, it is common for people to give glimpses of their emotions or feelings.
The first evidence
Many times the idea of a glimpse appears linked to the first evidence of the beginning of a situation or the beginning of a process .
Take the case of a tennis player who, in a best of five sets match, loses the first two sets. In the first game of the third set, however, he breaks his opponent's serve and then holds serve. In the audience, one spectator comments to another that he notices a “glimmer of recovery” in the player who, for the moment, loses the match. This is because the athlete begins to show symptoms of an improvement in their level.
Expressions with the term glimpse
In the same way, it is very common to use the expression “glimmer of hope” . This can be used in phrases such as the following: “Manuel's serious illness and the state he was in ended any glimmer of hope among his loved ones.”
There is also another very common expression that is used with the term in question. It is a “glimpse of doubt.” This is usually used in sentences such as this: “The jury is not clear about the innocence or guilt of the accused and there is a glimmer of doubt.”
Likewise, we cannot forget the existence of the expression “glimpse of peace” . This can be found, for example, in the song “Lo tener o no” by the Almeria artist David Bisbal .
Within the literary field, finally, there is a trilogy titled “Los Cruces del Atisbo” . It is written by Julián R. Rabadán .