Schrapnel rained down, and a cargo lift exploded the water nearby, hazing the skiff in chilly mist. ---------------------------------- I'm using haze as a verb to indicate shrouding something in obscurity. This is not an actual definition, but I'm hoping that since haze, as a noun, means a cloudy or opaque fog, I can get away with it. Thoughts?
I'd say 'shrouding' personally - however that sentence has other problems in "a cargo lift exploded the water near by" - did you mean "a cargo lift exploded in the water near by" or a cargo lift exploded, the water nearby hazing the skiff etc" Also it's shrapnel no 'c'. Plus shrapnel would be unlikely to cause an explosion more likely a direct hit on whatever was in the cargo which would make the shrapnel come after wards rather than before "Shells rained down, a cargo lift exploded showering the water nearby with shrapnel and hazing the skiff ..."
"Haze" or forms of the word can certainly be used as a verb. However, 'hazing' has another meaning as well. I don't think it will conflict, given the context of your sentence, but 'hazing' is what happens to people when they get initiated into certain groups or organizations.
It's certainly a misuse by the terms of popular vocabulary. In the public consciousness hazing more means the initiation rituals among say frat boys that involve being spanked (my kind of people TBH). So in that sense yes it is a misuse. But 'hazing' to mean 'making it hazy' works just fine. It's clear by the context what it means I think. I probably wouldn't do it myself but if that's how you want it then there's no problems with it, it's just a matter of taste.
In English, all nouns can be used as a verb under certain conditions; those conditions being, Colloquialism (Slang), Rhetoric, or Metaphoric. (There might be more reasons, but they are not coming to mind at the moment.)
I will occasionally purposefully misuse words to give character to the location. From growing up and vacationing in small towns, I know that localizaed dialects often include some quite strange bastardizations of words. "Hazing" sounds like a word I heard a bunch in my childhood: "dewed." Which we said to describe anything getting wet.
I agree. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to verbify a word as long as it conveys the meaning you intend it to.
Shakespeare thought this device was excellent, and who are we to argue with him? He's pretty famous for using nouns as verbs. (Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle.) The Greeks called it anthimeria, so the trick goes even farther back, really. In fiction, you're on solid ground with this, especially in your example (hazing), which is seamless, IMO. My favorite is when McCarthy does a "bellied." Billy peered out at the high desert. The bellied light wires raced against the night. It's like belly (the noun), used as a verb as an adjective (past participle adj, I suppose). It's not even the normal use of bellied (yellow-bellied, pot-bellied) because this one is using motion. I suppose this isn't verbing though, since it's an adjective . . . whatever. I still find it cleverly funny. It's one of those words that identifies McCarthy, kind of like how Asimov always says "sardonic" and Barker always says "facade" with the little hook. Don't know if I can type that . . . façade.
I wonder if the term 'hazing over' might eliminate any problems. As in 'the horizon has hazed over with mist.'
