Cotton ball in my head

English translation: a fuzzy feeling in my head

12:21 May 23, 2017

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Other

English term or phrase: Cotton ball in my head

Hi,
I was wondering about the meaning of “cotton ball” in the following passage. I think the author refers to an actual "cotton ball" like the ones shown here
https://www.google.it/search?q="cotton ball "&noj=1&source=l...
since he later says that he knows it might make no sense...

What's your opinion?
Thanks in advance for any hint!

***

I’d rather be sleeping right now, but my mind is abuzz, not so much with ideas as a sense of something, set of images, feeling in my body, ** a cotton ball in my head ** that needs expression somehow.
I know that makes no sense—a cotton ball in need of expression—but that is simply what it feels like.

haribert KudoZ activity Questions: 288 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 524
Local time: 18:55

Selected answer:a fuzzy feeling in my head

Explanation:
It's a metaphor - literally it means a ball of cotton as in your link. The feeling is difficult to define, like the fluffy outlines of the cotton.

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Note added at 10 mins (2017-05-23 12:32:21 GMT)
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If you're translating this into Italian, I would have thought "batuffolo di cotone" would work fine.

Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States

Grading comment

Thank you very much!
Have a nice week!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +4

a fuzzy feeling in my head

philgoddard

muddled up tangle of general arousal, emotions and vague imagery

magdadh

Answers

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

cotton ball in my head

a fuzzy feeling in my head

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44

Grading comment

Thank you very much!
Have a nice week!

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you, Phil, for your help! I was also thinking of translating literally as "batuffolo di cotone" or maybe, since the author is American, "batuffolo di ovatta"

Asker: Thank you very much for your help! Have a nice evening!

26 mins confidence:

cotton ball in my head muddled up tangle of general arousal, emotions and vague imagery

Explanation:
The author uses the cotton(wool) ball metaphor to describe a state of unspecific mental and physical arousal that stops him from sleeping.

''in need of expression'' suggests that that arousal/fuzzy agitation could be dealt with if it could be expressed.

'Expression' feels like a very clever choice here as it could mean both 'articulate, specify' and 'get rid of, expel'.

He then questions his choice of metaphor: ''I know that makes no sense—a cotton ball in need of expression'' but concedes it IS the best *expression* of his state he can offer.

magdadh
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:55
Native speaker of:

Polish

Notes to answerer

Asker: thank you, Magdadh, for your contribution!

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Cotton ball in my head

English translation: a fuzzy feeling in my head

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